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NEW YORK – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was almost hidden from the street as she stood behind a nondescript building in Queens that a local nonprofit is buying with federal money. But people spotted her anyway, slowly trickling up the sidewalk and forming a small line to get a picture with her.
The New York congresswoman wrapped up her visit, did a quick interview with a Bengali-language TV crew and posed for pictures with the people who were hovering nearby.
For most members of Congress, such swings through the district are routine, an opportunity to connect with voters back home and remind them of the tangible impact of their work on Capitol Hill, such as the $2 million Ocasio-Cortez helped the Queens nonprofit secure as part of a $1.5 trillion government-wide spending bill. But for Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most prominent progressive voices in U.S. politics, such visits carry added significance.
Four years ago, Ocasio-Cortez became famous when she toppled one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress with a message that he was more focused on his political ambitions in Washington than the working-class voters he represented in New York. As she seeks a third term this year and navigates the implications of being a celebrity in her own right, she's determined to avoid any suggestion that she is losing touch with her constituents.
“It’s always a concern that that’s a perception," Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview.
“I’ve never had any control over the fact that that kind of phenomenon started the moment I was elected,” she continued. “If anything, that’s why it’s really important for me to continue to be here in the community.”
The intensity of interest in Ocasio-Cortez — and the sometimes misplaced belief that she can solve any problem — is on display during her visits to the district.
A March town hall in the Bronx attracted people like Daron Jones, a 21-year-old who was among those lining up to get a photo with Ocasio-Cortez. He doesn't live in the district — or even in New York. He drove about an hour from Hoboken, New Jersey, to see Ocasio-Cortez after having watched “Knock Down The House,” a Netflix documentary chronicling her 2018 campaign against then-Rep. Joe Crowley.
“I knew she was big,” he said. “It inspires me how she just is a regular person. She’s just here trying to help the community.”
As she ticked through a slideshow of local U.S. government projects and tax credits newly available under last year’s pandemic-relief laws, it was hard to miss the young people in the audience raising their phones to take pictures of her or the security guards stationed near her at the front of the room.
Nancy Johnson, who lived in the neighborhood, attended the event hoping Ocasio-Cortez could intervene in a dispute with her condominium board over elevator outages and other complaints. The congresswoman expressed sympathy for the challenge and said she was aware of the issue. But, noting that the condominium board was a private entity, she said her office could only counsel her and fellow residents on their options.
“I was very impressed with her and what she’s doing,” Johnson said, but “just a little disappointed that she couldn’t help us or even respond.”
Such high expectations of the 32-year-old Ocasio-Cortez were a reminder of how fame is both an asset and a liability for the congresswoman.
With 13 million followers on Twitter alone, a single social media post by Ocasio-Cortez can draw the type of attention that many veteran politicians can only dream of.
She has raised massive sums of campaign cash from mostly small-dollar donors that she distributes to candidates who share her progressive worldview. Her leadership political action committee has given at least $207,500 to other campaign committees since the start of 2021, according to federal election data.
But her attempts to use her platform to bring attention to candidates or causes she cares about sometimes land with mixed results. Her picks in several high-profile congressional primaries this year from Cleveland to south Texas were defeated by more moderate candidates backed by the Democratic establishment.
Even in her hometown of New York City, the Ocasio-Cortez-backed candidate for mayor was defeated by the more moderate Eric Adams in a crowded Democratic primary last year. The two have developed a fraught relationship, sparring over everything from the city budget and policing to his choice of words when describing some workers as “low skill.”
Perhaps most memorably, she drew scrutiny in September for wearing a dress to the celebrity-packed Met Gala with the words “Tax the Rich” scrawled across the back. While she earned praise from some for the bold message, she was also criticized by some who considered it hypocritical to attend the ultra-exclusive event full of the wealthy and connected.
Ocasio-Cortez is now at something of a crossroads moment.
With Democrats facing steep headwinds to maintain control of the House after this year's midterms, she is poised to be in the minority for the first time. She is often mentioned as a potential Senate — or even presidential — contender. But she has opted against opportunities to seek higher office, including this year when there was speculation that she might challenge Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and Senate majority leader, in a primary.
With the need to appeal to both liberals in New York City and moderate voters upstate, Democrats who win statewide are often centrists, which would make it hard for Ocasio-Cortez to survive a primary if she sought higher office.
“Outside of the very online far-left, she’s not popular,” said Jon Reinish, a Democratic political strategist in New York. “She is considerably to the left of the vast majority of New York voters.”
Ocasio-Cortez said she doesn't have a clear plan for what comes next for her.
“It’s a common question that I get and it’s not even an intention to be cagey or dismissive. It’s just — I really don’t know,” she said. “I really do try to assess the landscape and see how I can best serve.”
“Personally — this is — I’m already like way beyond anything that I ever thought was possible for my life," she added. “And so, I do not have this internal craving.”
___
Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.
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https://www.clickorlando.com/news/politics/2022/07/16/ocasio-cortez-navigates-the-expectations-that-come-with-fame/
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SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who chairs Gov. J.B. Pritzker's rural affairs council, did not miss her chance Wednesday afternoon to say that the state's "growers, producers and farmers are really the bread and butter of Illinois."
The corny line was a fitting one as, minutes later, Pritzker, Stratton and a number of dignitaries unveiled the 2022 Illinois State Fair butter cow.
The annual tradition is meant to highlight the contribution of the nearly 450 dairy farmers in Illinois. It's an industry that has an annual economic impact of more than $24 billion.
"It's really, really something quite amazing and very unique to the Illinois State Fair," said Illinois Department of Agriculture director Jerry Costello II. "And I would also be remiss if I didn't thank all our dairy men and women here in the state of Illinois for everything they do and obviously giving us the butter to make this cow."
The 2022 cow, located in the dairy building on the fairgrounds, was sculpted by Sarah Pratt for the sixth consecutive year. She used more than 800 pounds of unsalted, recycled butter on this year's cow.
This year's sculpture features the interaction between a farmer, the land and the cow. Featured prominently are sunflowers, including one in the cow's mouth.
And as in years past, 13 hearts have been hidden into the display to signify the 13 essential nutrients found naturally in milk.
Every year, the butter cow design is intended to match up with the fair's theme. This year — with the theme "Grow with Us" — is no different.
“This design was personal for me," Pratt said. "Our family just moved to a home with acreage and started growing our own garden. Through that experience, I was inspired to include a farmer growing on the land that in turns allows the cow to grow.”
Pritzker, at his third butter cow unveiling (there was no 2020 cow due to the COVID-19 pandemic), said that "every year I am gobsmacked by her artistry."
"She doesn't just craft us a cow, she creates an entire scene," he said.
There have been 101 butter cows at the Illinois State Fair, a tradition that dates back to the 1920s, according to the fair's website.
Those who can't attend the fair can still see the butter cow through a video live-streaming on the state fair's website.
The fair kicks off its 11-day run on Thursday.
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https://pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/2022-illinois-state-fair-butter-cow-unveiled/article_b67bceae-18f8-11ed-9ccd-1b60f178ee4d.html
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A group of wildlife advocates is blasting Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s wolf reintroduction process, saying the intent of the voter-approved proposition has been “lost or undermined.”
Since voters in November 2020 approved Proposition 114 directing the state to craft a plan and reintroduce wolves on the Western Slope by the end of 2023, CPW has hosted a series of statewide meetings and organized two groups to create a management plan.
“We feel that formal processes since the passage of Proposition 114 have minimized meaningful public input and uplifted the voices of ranchers, outfitters, trappers, and hunters over others en route to a plan that is likely to limit the possibilities of wolves on the Colorado landscape,” reads a letter submitted to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission on Monday by 14 wildlife advocacy groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, the Colorado Sierra Club and the Humane Society of the United States.
“We in the conservation community have felt cut out of the process,” said Lindsay Larris with conservation group WildEarth Guardians.
The wildlife group says CPW’s two groups that are crafting a reintroduction plan — a 17-member Technical Working Group made of wildlife management professionals that meets privately, and a 19-member Stakeholder Advisory Group, or SAG, that meets publicly — have “tilted what should be an aspirational conversation towards a cynical one that has focused on livestock owner compensation, artificially limiting populations and when, where and how to kill wolves.”
The wildlife advocates’ 26-page plan “accentuates certain issues that we feel have been missing or minimized in formal processes to date.” The group plans to present their plan to wildlife commissioners later this week at the board’s meeting in Edwards.
“It was concerning that at the last SAG meeting, there was discussion about how to allow wolf hunting,” Larris said. “We want to voice our concerns now before any draft plan comes out so we can hopefully see some of our ideas in the plan and not have to wait to only provide comments on the plan.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has said that once wolves are established in the state, “population management options, including hunting, will be evaluated.” Hunting of wolves is allowed in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The group proposal divides Colorado into 12 zones with suitable wolf habitat, using a model built in 2015 by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop a map of potential wolf range.
The group proposes releasing a breeding pair of wolves into each of the zones, with a first-phase plan of having 48 to 120 wolves roaming the state in the first two years of reintroduction.
The 12 interconnected zones are:
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dinosaur National Monument
Flat Tops Wilderness
BLM land north of Grand Junction and south of Dinosaur
Holy Cross and Hunter-Frying Pan Wilderness
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
West Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest
West Elk Wilderness
Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area
La Garita Wilderness
Hermosa Creek Wilderness
Weminuche Wilderness
The group suggests that after three phases of introduction and management, Colorado could host 150 packs or about 750 wolves, with a population ranging from 600 to 1,500.
“That shall be the ongoing goal for the minimum presence of wolves in Colorado,” reads the group’s report.
That population estimate is based on the density of deer and elk, which could support 4,138 wolves, the report concludes. (The report’s formula estimates 294,000 deer and elk in Colorado at 500 pounds each and does appear to include the impact of other predators, like mountain lions.) Land ownership and road density also factor into the population numbers, as does the abundance of wilderness areas.
The group also identified suitable wolf habitat east of the Continental Divide and urged the commission to allow wolves to roam into the Front Range, noting that “Proposition 114 does not explicitly impose any limits on where wolves may be allowed to live in Colorado after they are reintroduced.” The proposal also suggests Mexican wolves should be introduced in southern Colorado.
For management, the wildlife group proposes reclassifying wolves as a Tier 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Colorado’s State Wildlife Action Plan. The predators are listed as endangered in Colorado, but are classified as Tier 2 on the conservation priority list.
The group says killing wolves should not be permitted “except in extremely limited circumstances,” pointing to a 2020 study that concluded “legal killing of wolves begets illegal killing of wolves.”
The group outlines rules for killing wolves in the three phases of wolf reintroduction.
In all phases, wolves can be killed in defense of human life. In the first phase of reintroduction, ranchers cannot kill wolves that are preying on livestock. In the second phase, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers on private land can kill a wolf if ranchers have lost four or more animals in seven days. In the third phase, if a rancher has lost five animals in three months, a CPW officer can kill a wolf on private land and a landowner can kill a wolf that is caught biting, wounding or killing livestock or working dogs.
“Killing wolves in response to livestock conflict has the highest variability of success when compared to nonlethal practices like fencing, deterrents, and shepherds,” reads the group’s report.
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https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/conservation-groups-offer-alternate-plan-for-colorado-wolf-reintroduction/article_b262190a-06aa-11ed-a3ab-eb95c79b842a.html
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https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/Kansas-City-Team-Stax-17421374.php
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Senior Executive Will Drive Innovation and Growth Through Firm's Unified Technology Platform
NEW YORK, July 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pretium, a specialized investment firm with over $45 billion in assets under management, today announced the appointment of Ramki Ramaswamy as Chief Digital and Technology Officer, effective immediately. In this role, Mr. Ramaswamy will leverage technology across Pretium's operating and portfolio companies to maintain the firm's industry-leading competitive advantage and to drive additional business value as Pretium scales. He will be a member of the firm's Executive Committee.
Mr. Ramaswamy brings more than two decades of experience overseeing the development and implementation of information technology and broader digital strategies across complex, high-growth businesses. He joins Pretium from Boeing, where he most recently served as the Chief Information Officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing all digital strategy, developing innovative technological solutions and modernizing systems. Prior to Boeing, Mr. Ramaswamy was the Vice President of IT, Technology and Integrations for JetBlue, where he led the technological development across cloud, big data, artificial intelligence and agile solutions to build revenue and increase customer satisfaction.
"Pretium is entering a new era of technological innovation. As we continue to deploy a growing base of capital across Pretium's complementary investment strategies, technology and the scalability of our platforms will play a critical role in our ongoing success, including our ability to consistently deliver value to our stakeholders," said Don Mullen, Founder and CEO of Pretium. "Ramki has a proven track record of leading high-performing teams and delivering innovative digital solutions for multifaceted, high-growth businesses. I am thrilled to welcome him to the team to build Pretium's technology roadmap for the future."
"I am honored to join Pretium and work alongside a team so clearly focused on their mission," said Mr. Ramaswamy. "Throughout my career, I have seen the importance of unified technologies, systems and operations as companies grow. I am looking forward to contributing across the Pretium ecosystem."
Earlier in his career, Mr. Ramaswamy held various application development and software delivery roles at JD Power, Citigroup's Global Wealth Management business and Standard & Poor's Equity Research division. Mr. Ramaswamy holds a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology.
About Pretium
Pretium is a specialized investment firm focused on U.S. residential real estate, residential credit, and corporate credit. Pretium was founded in 2012 to capitalize on secular investment and lending opportunities arising as a result of structural changes, disruptions, and inefficiencies within the economy. Pretium has built an integrated analytical and operational ecosystem within the U.S. housing, residential credit, and corporate credit markets, and believes that its insight and experience within these markets create a strategic advantage over other investment managers. Pretium's platform has over $45 billion of assets and employs approximately 4,000 people across 30 offices, including London and Dubai. Please visit www.pretium.com for additional information.
Contacts:
Jon Keehner / Kate Thompson / Lyle Weston
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
212-355-4449
Media-SFR@pretium.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Pretium
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https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/18/pretium-adds-ramki-ramaswamy-chief-digital-technology-officer/
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General Electric Chairman and CEO Larry Culp is taking on the additional role as the top executive at the company’s aviation business.
GE said Monday that aviation’s current CEO, John Slattery, will become executive vice president and chief commercial officer of the business.
The Boston company had begun to carve off pieces of itself not long after the financial crisis in 2008, and those efforts accelerated when Culp took over in 2018.
Also on Monday, GE said Russell Stokes, currently senior vice president of GE and president & CEO of GE Aviation Services, is being named CEO of Commercial Engines and Services.
Shane Wright, chief financial officer and chief operating officer of the aviation business, is retiring. Wright will be succeeded in the CFO post by Rahul Ghai, who is currently executive vice president and CFO of Otis Worldwide.
GE laid out a timetable in which it would complete the spinoff of its healthcare sector by early next year, and it’s power division in 2024.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ge-ceo-culp-to-lead-companys-aviation-unit/2022/06/27/a2975628-f62b-11ec-81db-ac07a394a86b_story.html
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The Revolution gave up the lead twice in the contest and settled for a disheartening 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati before 20,193 on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Despite the missed opportunity, they still extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games (4-0-6). The Revs have given up the lead in five of the six draws on the unbeaten streak,
“Of course, we could have gotten three points,” said Revolution head coach Bruce Arena. “But we haven’t lost a game in 10 games which is not the worst thing that could happen.
“Could we get more three points? Yeah, but we have 16 more games remaining to be get a little bit better. We are not in the worst shape and we’ve been forced to redesign our team with roster moves.”
The Revolution, now 6-5-7, will play the first of three straight road games against reigning MLS Cup champion New York City FC on Saturday afternoon (1). The match will be the first meeting between the two teams since NYCFC’s stunning upset victory on penalty kicks in the MLS Cup Eastern Conference semifinals on Dec. 2 at Gillette Stadium.
“We are working hard, we are working well and we are going to try and work on these moments and fix these things,” said midfielder Wilfrid Kaptoum. “It is clear we could have won the game and unfortunately, we had some shortcomings and it cost us three points. But we did get a point and we go from there.”
The Revolution went up 1-0 in the 30th minute when Sebastian Lletget set up dynamic rookie forward Dylan Borrero for his second of the season. Lletget controlled a long clearance by Petrovic and spied Borrero streaking the left flank. Borrero found an open seam to the box and fired a liner that beat FCC keeper Roman Celentano to the far post.
Cincy tied the game 1-1 on a corner kick from the left side in the 41st minute. Luciano Acosta lofted a rainbow into the penalty area that Kessler inadvertently headed past Petrovic for an own goal. Borrero suffered a right leg injury in stoppage time at the end of the half and was helped off the field. He was replaced by Emmanuel Boateng to begin the second half.
The Revolution went up 2-1 on a magnificent collaboration set in motion by Bye in the 55th minute. Bye advanced down the middle of the field and fed Boateng in the left side of the box. Boateng fired a cross that Bou headed under the crossbar for his fourth goal in six appearances.
“He (Bou) scored a goal and that is what strikers are supposed to do,” said Arena. “He did a good job and he’s not a perfect nine but he does a solid job.”
Petrovic preserved the lead when he stoned FCC sniper Brandon Vazquez from close range in the 69th minute. FCC tied the game 2-2 in the 73rd minute when Brenner converted a sloppy turnover into his fifth of the season.
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https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/07/03/the-revolution-extend-unbeaten-streak-with-2-2-draw-with-cincinnati/
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can prohibit abortion, Alabama has seized on the decision to argue that the state should also be able to ban gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender youths.
The case marks one of the first known instances in which a conservative state has tried to apply the abortion ruling to other realms, just as LGBTQ advocates and others were afraid would happen.
Critics have expressed fear that the legal reasoning behind the high court ruling could lead to a rollback of decisions involving such matters as gay marriage, birth control and parental rights.
The state is asking a federal appeals court to lift an injunction and let it enforce an Alabama law that would make it a felony to give puberty blockers or hormones to transgender minors to help affirm their gender identity.
In its historic ruling last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court said terminating a pregnancy is not a fundamental constitutional right because abortion is not mentioned in the Constitution and is not “deeply rooted in this nation’s history and tradition.”
In a brief filed Monday, the Alabama attorney general’s office argued similarly that gender transition treatments are not “deeply rooted in our history or traditions,” and thus the state has the authority to ban them. Alabama contends such treatments are dangerous and experimental, a view disputed by medical organizations.
Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said this is the first case he is aware of in which a state cited the abortion ruling on another issue, but added, “It won’t be the last.”
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said in the majority opinion that the abortion ruling should not cast “doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.” But Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the same legal reasoning should be used to reconsider high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, gay sex and contraceptives.
“It is no surprise that Alabama and other extremely conservative states are going to take up that invitation as forcefully as they can,” Minter said. “Justice Thomas’ concurrence was a declaration of war on groups already under attack, and we expect the hostility to be escalated.”
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s so-called Dobbs decision, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in an interview with NewsNation, did not rule out defending a state law against gay sex if the GOP-controlled Legislature were to approve a new one. The previous one was struck down by the high court in 2003.
On the opposite side of the political spectrum, Massachusetts lawmakers are looking to increase state protections for gender-affirming care, in addition to abortion, in reaction to the Supreme Court ruling.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall was unavailable for comment Thursday, a spokesman said.
Jeff Walker, who has a 15-year-old transgender daughter, said this spring that it felt as if Alabama were attacking families like his with legislation targeting transgender kids’ medication and dictating their choice of school bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams. He said the state’s argument in this case is worrisome for everyone.
“I think everyone should be concerned by the wording of this appeal. By this logic, any health care the state feels isn’t in line with its morals or beliefs should be banned,” Walker said.
The Alabama case could become an early test of where judges stand on the scope of the abortion ruling. The appeals court granted the state’s request for an expedited schedule for submitting briefs, and a decision could come as early as this fall.
While Alabama was already appealing the injunction in the transgender medication case, the state quickly incorporated the abortion decision into its filing.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey this spring signed the law making it a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison to dispense certain medication to minors to help with their gender transition.
A federal judge in May issued a preliminary injunction blocking the measure, siding with parents who said the law violates their children’s rights and their own rights to direct their youngsters’ medical care.
“What’s interesting about Supreme Court decisions is they tend to have a life of their own,” said Alison Gash, a professor of political science at the University of Oregon.
Courts have generally supported the right of parents to make medical decisions for their children, including in cases where families don’t want to get cancer treatments recommended by doctors, Gash said. She said she is expecting to see more arguments like Alabama’s arising out of the Dobbs decision, and they could have a major effect on the right to make medical decisions.
“A lot of us feel like the guardrails have completely fallen off, because there is no real predictability about how relevant Dobbs will be to a whole wide range of issues that affect so many different vulnerable communities,” Gash said.
___
Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City, Utah; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; and Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
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https://www.wfla.com/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/alabama-cites-abortion-ruling-in-transgender-medication-case/
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PENNSYLVANIA, USA — A report from American Automobile Association (AAA) predicted that more than one-third of Americans are expected to travel for Labor Day, with the vast majority taking to the roads.
The cost to fill up your tank is a significant factor, which has continued to fall going into the holiday.
"Gas prices keep going down, for 11 straight weeks [now]," Patrick De Hann said, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy .
The average gas price across the state, as well as in the ten counties in southcentral Pennsylvania, still remains above $4.00 per gallon.
De Hann says prices could continue to fall if trends stay steady.
"We could see prices by Labor Day, under that $4 a gallon mark on average," De Hann said. "I think prices in York could drop another .25 to .50 cents a gallon over the next couple of months."
Drivers will also benefit when fuel companies switch their products for the upcoming seasons.
"We switch back to cheaper winter gasoline on Sept. 16," De Hann said.
Record high gas prices weren't the only headache for travelers this summer. Flight disruptions also proved to be challenging, especially at major hubs like Philadelphia and Chicago.
Officials with Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) say flight disruptions at the airport have been minimal and haven't had a drastic impact.
"We've had 96% of our flights fly on time over the summer, typically it's 98%," Scott Miller said, the spokesperson with Harrisburg International. "So technically, it is twice as many canceled this year than we've seen in the past. However, still very few."
Miller says much of their delays and cancelations were not because of the issues seen across the country.
"Most of the cancellations have been because of weather," Miller said. "[So] I don't know [if] we'll see a lot of cancellations [this weekend]."
Airport officials say they expect an uptick in passengers this Labor Day weekend compared to last year, but fewer than 2019's record of just under 22,000 passengers.
Miller urges patience if you face any delays. "The airlines are gonna get you there as soon as they can," he said. "They don't want to delay your weekend."
FOX43 has been following the delays and cancelations all summer and has a guide to your rights if your flight is canceled.
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https://www.fox43.com/article/travel/what-expect-labor-day-weekend-travels-harrisburg-interantional-airport-gas-prices/521-e543c9db-4cf5-4115-9332-de87a26bc6f3
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Sponsored Content Presented by Pelican Brewing
Whether you’ve got a calendar full of vacation days or just a weekend to spend on sabbatical, the Oregon Coast is the destination of choice for summering Portlanders in the know. With a rich, diverse variety of accommodations, attractions, multiple ocean-front Pelican Brewing locations dotting the shoreline, it’s hard to deny the allure of Oregon’s ethereal windswept coastline as a top shelf vacation destination. For newly minted Oregonians yet to experience the breathtaking grandeur and overwhelming spectacle of the Oregon Coast, or for Portlanders in want of quick coastal refresher, consider referring to this quick guide as you plan your next oceanic getaway and your best beachfront pint.
For the Relaxed Traveler…Cannon Beach.
If you’re the type of traveler for whom the journey is the destination and the best plan is not to have any plan at all, we say: Cannon Beach. This coastal town is straight down Highway 26 from Portland, requiring very little navigation but delivering a big scenic payoff. For a low-stakes weekend with the fam, Cannon Beach offers relaxed dining and recreation experiences as well as a charming main boulevard overflowing with touristy shopportunities.
Here’s our list of what not to miss:
Eat & Drink: Pelican Brewing at the south end of Hemlock Street features not only the full slate of Pelican brews on tap, but also a robust pub menu and a genial, family-friendly atmosphere. Cannon Beach’s Sleepy Monk Coffee Shop roasts their organic beans in house, so just follow your nose toward some of the most compelling brews up or down the coast.
Stay: In between rental homes and camping areas are the romantically understated Hidden Village Cottages and Stephanie Inn, two under the radar stays that are worth the attention.
Shop: Basalt Studio’s handmade ceramics, the charming Jupiter’s Used Books, and the kitschy vintage inspired curios from Sesame + Lilies are just a few of the unique stores to explore during your getaway.
Explore: Once you’ve laid eyes on Cannon Beach’s iconic haystack rock formation, consider exploring Ecola State park and reminiscing over a cinematic, generational touchstone like the beach scenes from Twilight, Goonies, or Point Break - all filmed at Ecola. Cannon Beach also features funcycle rentals and, for the brave-hearted, surf lessons.
For the Curious Traveler…Lincoln City
Nearly every city along the coast has a beautiful beach and view. So for those looking for a city-specific experience - Lincoln City is it. Nearly 4x the size of Cannon Beach, Lincoln City is a vibrant town with culture that extends beyond the typical travel season. Looking to stumble on a bartender with a salty personality? Or a book shop with serious history? A monument to the local Sea Lion? This is the place. Plus, Pelican Brewing just opened their bay-front outpost in Lincoln City with spacious dining rooms, an enormous patio, private event spaces, and their famous brews all with a momentous view of Siletz Bay.
Our go-to’s:
Eat & Drink: The Wildflower Grill with its pastoral charm is a local fave, and Pelican Brewing’s new outpost on the bay is a vacation destination in itself, featuring not only an impressive tap list, but also a fresh caught, coastal-inspired menu. Imagine the singular, panoramic ocean views and ale pairings next time someone you know is shopping for a coastal wedding venue. Get tipsy with the locals at Nauti Mermaid or for a softer liberation, check out The Cheeky Cauldron, a Harry Potter Themed Tea Shop.
Stay: No coastal stay is complete without the soft lull of crashing waves to both lull you to sleep and gently wake you up - consider beachfront hotel Surftides for the full maritime fantasy.
Explore: Take a glass blowing class at the Lincoln City Glass Center, test your luck at Chinook Winds Casino, peruse the books at Roberts Bookstore, grab a smoothie at Lighthouse Coffee, and rent a fat tire bike for cruising the flat long beaches.
For the Adventurous Outdoors Traveler…Pacific City
One of the best parts of Northwest living is the natural wonder that surrounds us, never more than a quick ride from any given city center. And if your primary vacation directive is to revel in nature rather than explore a new city, Pacific Beach calls.
This iconic location, home to Pelican Brewing’s first brewpub, is an unincorporated pocket of Tillamook County with barely more than a thousand permanent residents. It’s a quiet community, perfect suited for the getaway that prioritizes scenic wonder over pretty much everything else, so pack your hiking gear and prepare to swoon over some of the most breathtaking vistas our state has to offer.
Here’s the list:
Eat & Drink: Though Pacific City is quite small, Portland craft brew denizens can still enjoy a pint after their daylight adventures or their evening constitutional at the Pelican brewco’s comfortable beachfront destination. This locale is not only the original birthplace of Pelican Brewing, it’s also the only beachfront brewery with views of Haystack Rock, the legendary Dory Boats, and even the occasional cold water surfer. Also worth a visit are the Grateful Bread Bakery and the fine dining Meridian Restaurant located in the Headlands Coastal Lodge and Spa.
Stay: Adventurous types will love the Hart’s Camp - a campground containing both RV spaces and renovated Airstream trailers you can rent for brief or extended stays.
Explore: This town is all about getting outside. Hiking at Cape Kiwanda, or Whalen Island County Park offer stunning views. Paddle the Nestucca River, or test your surfing skills - Monument Surf Company is a great place to start.
Soak it up!
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https://www.wweek.com/promotions/2022/06/23/so-much-coast-so-little-summer/
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(WJW) — Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96 on Thursday, is being remembered all across the United States. President Joe Biden has ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the Queen.
Flags are to be flown at half-staff at the White House, all federal buildings, military posts, naval stations and naval vessels until sunset on the day of internment, the order states.
You may have noticed flags hanging lower in your own state, too. Several state governments have also ordered U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff on all public buildings and grounds.
In the video below, the Terminal Tower in Cleveland goes dark on Thursday night in honor of the late monarch.
The royal family posted a statement on their official site Thursday saying: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Her 73-year-old son Charles automatically becomes king, though the coronation might not take place for months.
In his Thursday proclamation, Biden wrote, in part:
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era. In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her. Queen Elizabeth II led always with grace, an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example.”
President Joe Biden
Biden thanked the Queen, who marked 70 years on the throne in February, for helping perpetuate the “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States.
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https://www.ksn.com/news/why-are-flags-flying-at-half-staff-friday/
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The debate over abortion moves from the court to the states and voters
After the Supreme Court overturns Roe V. Wade, lawmakers on Capitol Hill tell us what they think about the court’s decision.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -The country is reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that ruled there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion.
States will now get to decide their own laws surrounding abortion.
“There will be daughters waking up with less rights than their mothers had,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).
Cortez Masto joined protestors outside the Supreme Court Friday, shortly after the opinion came down. She told us she believes the court’s ruling treats women like 2nd class citizens.
“We’ve had over 50 years of women being able to make these decisions. And now it is going to be elected representatives, people making these decisions, government officials making these decisions for women. It’s outrageous,” said Cortez Masto.
The ruling means access to abortion may be more difficult for Americans living in states that regulate or ban the procedure.
Democrats are calling on Americans to elect more pro-choice lawmakers so they can pass legislation that would federally protect abortion access.
Meanwhile, Republicans are celebrating the court’s decision.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas.) believes the court did the right thing. “This decision is an incredible vindication for the Constitution and for the rule of law,” he said.
Kansas Senator Roger Marshall (R) also praised the court.
He told us, “So many people worked so hard for years for this moment.”
A moment that is igniting the country and moving the debate over abortion from the court to the states and voters.
More than a dozen states have already passed laws restricting legal access to abortion. Some ban abortion even in cases of incest or rape.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wafb.com/2022/06/25/debate-over-abortion-moves-court-states-voters/
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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Among the sites of the former Soviet Union’s “frozen conflicts,” a long and narrow strip of land in Moldova has been the most stable for three decades. Trans-Dniester hasn’t seen fighting since the end of a separatist war in 1992.
But explosions in the past two days have raised concerns that Russia’s war in Ukraine could extend there. About 1,500 Russian troops already are stationed in Trans-Dniester. Another outbreak of hostilities would pose a severe challenge to Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries.
WHAT IS TRANS-DNIESTER?
Trans-Dniester extends some 400 kilometers (249 miles) between the eastern bank of the Dniester River in Moldova and the country’s border with Ukraine. Most of the breakaway region’s population of 470,000 speaks Russian, although residents identify themselves as ethnically Moldovan, Ukrainian or Russian.
Moves to make Moldovan Moldova’s official language in 1989, when it still was part of the Soviet Union, alarmed people in Trans-Dniester. The region declared independence in 1990 and clashes broke out. Fighting intensified in March 1992 and lasted until a July cease-fire; more than 700 people are estimated to have died in the conflict.
As part of the cease-fire agreement, a contingent of Russian troops stayed in Trans-Dniester as nominal peacekeepers. Since then, the region has insisted it is not part of Moldova, which declared independence in 1991.
Trans-Dniester has retained many Soviet ways and iconography, including using the hammer-and-sickle image on its flag. But it has remained generally peaceful, and some tourists come to relish the anachronisms.
WHAT HAPPENED THERE THIS WEEK?
Explosions rocked the headquarters of the region’s state security ministry on Monday. The building reportedly was empty due to the Orthodox Easter holiday, and no casualties were reported. Officials said the attack was committed with rocket-propelled grenades. Local media showed what appeared to be firing tubes lying on a street.
On Tuesday morning, a pair of explosions at a broadcasting facility knocked two powerful antennas out of service. No claims of responsibility for the attacks have been made.
Trans-Dniester’s president, Vadim Krasnoselsky, called Tuesday for imposing anti-terrorist security measures at a “red level” for 15 days, including setting up blockposts at the entrances to cities.
The United States has warned amid the war in Ukraine that Russia could launch “false-flag” attacks in nearby nations as a pretext for sending in troops.
DOES RUSSIA HAVE AMBITIONS IN THE REGION?
Russia does not recognize Trans-Dniester as independent, as it does with other breakaway areas, such as South Ossetia, Abkhazia and the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
It recognition of those areas came either after Russia and Georgia fought a 2008 war or as justification for Moscow’s February invasion of Ukraine. An outburst of fighting in Trans-Dniester could change the Kremlin’s political calculus; Russia’s security policy states it has the right to protect ethnic Russian populations throughout the world.
A senior Russian military official, Rustam Minnekayev, said last week that Russian forces were aiming to take full control of southern Ukraine, saying such a move would also open a land corridor between Russia and Trans-Dniester.
Achieving that military objective would require significant battles to capture Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, including the major port city of Odesa. Russian soldiers would surely encounter enormous resistance. The Russian contingent in Trans-Dniester is focused on guarding ammunition and warehouses, and its fitness for combat is uncertain.
Moldova is constitutionally neutral, so Russia could not cite the country seeking to join NATO to justify an invasion, as Russian President Vladimir Putin did with Ukraine. But expanding to Moldova would give Russia a presence next to NATO member Romania.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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https://wtmj.com/national/2022/04/26/explainer-how-is-trans-dniester-related-to-war-in-ukraine/
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s highest court on Wednesday rejected new congressional maps that had widely been seen as favoring Democrats, largely agreeing with Republican voters who argued the district boundaries were unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
The state’s Court of Appeals said lawmakers lacked the authority to pass the congressional and state Senate maps after an independent redistricting commission failed to reach a consensus.
The judges also said lawmakers gerrymandered the congressional maps to Democrats’ favor, in violation of a 2014 constitutional amendment designed to rout out political gamesmanship in redistricting.
The Appeals Court said it will “likely be necessary” to move the congressional and state Senate primary elections from June to August.
The group of Republican voters had said in their lawsuit not only that the maps were gerrymandered, but also that the Legislature didn’t follow proper procedure in passing them.
A lower-level court had also ruled that the maps were unconstitutional and had given the Legislature an April 30 deadline to come up with new maps or else leave the task to a court-appointed expert.
The judges in Wednesday's ruling said a special court master will pass new district maps instead of the Legislature.
Judicial "oversight is required to facilitate the expeditious creation of constitutionally conforming maps for use in the 2022 election and to safeguard the constitutionally protected right of New Yorkers to a fair election,” the ruling read.
The ruling didn't specify a deadline for the adoption of new maps. But the judges said they were sending the matter to a lower state court, which “shall adopt constitutional maps with all due haste.”
The legal fight over New York's redistricting process could be a factor in the battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of the U.S. House.
New York is set to lose one seat in Congress in 2021. New York’s new maps would give Democrats a strong majority of registered voters in 22 of the state’s 26 congressional districts. Right now, Republicans currently hold eight of the state’s 27 seats.
Democrats had been hoping that a redistricting map favorable to their party in New York might help offset expected losses in other states where Republicans control state government.
Political district maps across the nation have been redrawn in recent months as a result of population shifts recorded in the 2020 census.
Under a process passed by voters in 2014, New York’s new district maps were supposed to have been drawn by an independent commission. But that body, made up of equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, couldn't agree on one set of maps. The Democratic-controlled Legislature then stepped in and created its own maps, quickly signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Republicans then sued, seeing to have the maps tossed for violating a provision in the state constitution barring the redrawing of districts for partisan gain. Similar legal battles have been playing out in several other states.
The battle has moved quickly through the courts, but not fast enough to quell uncertainty about the primary, now scheduled for June 28.
In the meantime, candidates have had to begin campaigning in the new districts, even as they are unsure whether those districts will still exist by the time voting begins.
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https://www.mrt.com/news/article/New-York-court-rejects-congressional-maps-drawn-17131030.php
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The planned pay-per-view fight between Baltimore’s Hasim Rahman Jr. and social media star Jake Paul is off because of an issue with Rahman’s weight, Showtime Sports announced Saturday evening.
The fight, scheduled for Aug. 6 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, was originally to be fought at a 200-pound limit; Rahman has spent his entire career as a heavyweight and weighed 224 pounds for his last bout in April.
The son of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman had hoped to hand Paul his first loss and make a name for himself on the largest stage of his career.
Rahman Jr., who celebrated his 31st birthday on June 15, is 12-1 as a professional.
“This is such a huge opportunity,” he said during during a news conference promoting the fight two weeks ago. “I never once even second-guessed or even doubted the outcome of this fight.”
The 6-1, 195-pound Paul, 25, is 5-0 with four knockouts. But his list of opponents includes former 5-9 NBA star Nate Robinson, retired mixed martial artist Ben Askren and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. Rahman Jr. was set to be the first boxer Paul would face.
()
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https://www.twincities.com/2022/07/30/baltimore-born-boxer-hasim-rahman-jr-s-fight-with-jake-paul-off-because-of-weight-issue/
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‘First Kill’: Netflix’s teen vampire love story doesn’t have much bite
Review by Brian Lowry, CNN
“First Kill” isn’t good, but it’s bad in semi-interesting ways — the kind of young-adult genre show that Netflix churned out by the truckload before beginning to pull back. The one-line description — “Romeo and Juliet,” only adapted here as the crucifix-crossed romance between a vampire and a vampire slayer — seems ripe for mockery, and the execution doesn’t do much to blunt it.
Adding an LGBTQ hook to the premise, teenage vampire Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook) has yet to follow in the footsteps of her powerful family by, you know, drinking anyone dry, and Calliope (Imani Lewis) is in the same boat vis-à-vis her family of accomplished monster slayers.
New to town, Calliope immediately catches Juliette’s eye, and their potentially fatal attraction unleashes a host of complications, especially once their respective moms (Aubin Wise and Elizabeth Mitchell) realize that the object of their daughter’s affection comes from the wrong side of the supernatural tracks.
Obviously, the whole challenged-teen-romance motif is pretty overdone even without the Shakespearean underpinnings, with “Twilight” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (the series version, that is) among popular properties that have strained adolescent angst through a fanged filter.
Even so, the dense mythology of “First Kill,” adapted from Victoria “V. E.” Schwab’s short story by the writer working with producer Felicia D. Henderson (whose soapy credits include “Empire” and “Gossip Girl”), feels particularly tortured. It also requires rethinking some familiar tropes of vampire lore, since Juliette’s folks are fabulously wealthy, no strangers to daylight and generally seen as pillars of the community, never mind their nocturnal pastimes.
There is some chemistry between the leads, although every time the relationship seems to be heating up, something absurd happens to break the spell. That includes plot wrinkles related to their respective older siblings and glimpses of the occasional monster, realized through pretty cheesy special effects.
As noted, encouraged by “Stranger Things,” Netflix has aggressively sunk a portion of its programming budget into macabre and science-fiction series, including several built around youthful protagonists, with decidedly mixed results.
The appeal of the genre is understandable, since as the examples above remind us, there are bountiful rewards if you get it right. It’s just when you miss that vein, you wind up with something as toothless, bland and fitfully silly as “First Kill.”
“First Kill” premieres June 10 on Netflix.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://kion546.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2022/06/10/first-kill-stakes-out-another-teen-vampire-love-story-without-much-bite/
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WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- My-Take LLC, a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company, has been named one of the Most Innovative Suppliers in Market Research in GreenBook's annual GRIT report. This marks My-Take's 3rd consecutive appearance on the prestigious list.
"We are very proud to again be recognized for our innovation. Continual improvement and delivering an exceptional experience for our customers are core values. By delivering new applications for our customers, we open up new research capabilities. Additionally, we seek to automate insight community functionality to help our customers go faster and unlock new insights. To achieve this industry recognition for three consecutive years is a testament to our relentless focus on integrating the voice of the customer." - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder
This year, My-Take has added many enhancements and new features to the platform. The most notable is the release of the third version of Video Chats, an activity type used for online focus groups and IDIs. This new release comes with added reporting and administration capabilities along with enhanced UI layouts, giving users more control and research-focused features to make running online focus groups more seamless and intuitive. In addition to Video Chats, another recent platform release to highlight would be Experiences. Experiences is a digital user experience (UX) testing activity that allows organizations to understand customer behavior and opinions on digital assets such as websites and programs.
"For over a decade, our teams' focus has been on helping brands and organizations understand their customers better through continuous feedback powered by our insight community platform and professional services team. We're delighted to have been recognized again as one of the top technology partners in the industry for our innovative platform!" - Rich Armstrong, Co-founder
About My-Take: My-Take is a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients.
For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE My-Take
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https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/09/01/third-consecutive-year-my-take-named-top-innovative-supplier-market-research/
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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And now it's time for sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: Equal pay for Team USA women. Win Wimbledon, but no points. And the Warriors stay up. Howard Bryant of Meadowlark Media joins us. Good morning, Howard.
HOWARD BRYANT: Good morning, Scott. How are you?
SIMON: I'm fine, thanks. And a historic moment for women's soccer in the U.S. The unions representing both national teams, men and women, announced a new collective bargaining agreement that will have the teams split the bonus money they get from the World Cup in equal parts. What does this represent?
BRYANT: It represents a victory and a lot of fighting. This is a conversation. This is a battle. These are lawsuits, litigation that's been going on for a really long time. And let's not forget that this is a part of a continuum that years ago - not even - just a few years ago, you and I were having this conversation about the women's national hockey team and how they were going to boycott the nationals because of equal pay issues. And so you've got this, and you've got soccer, and you've got the - you know, tennis and all of it has been happening, all of this for the last 30, 40, 50 years. And so for the greatest soccer team in the country, which is the women's national team, to get this - it's gigantic and another example that nothing happens without struggle. Nothing happens without fighting. You have to stay in people's faces. And that's what the women did, and they won.
SIMON: Let me ask about Wimbledon, which has banned Russian and Belarussian players from competing this year because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now both men's and women's players association say that they will not award ranking points for anybody who wins. Does that make winning Wimbledon less appealing?
BRYANT: Well, the prestige of being there is still there, obviously. The competition is going to still be there. But once again, Scott, this is another continuum of what we've been talking about for the past year or so and more about there's no escape from the the prominence of sports and how it collides with the geopolitics. We were having this conversation with Peng Shuai in tennis and the Olympics. We were having this conversation with Brittney Griner. We're having this conversation now with the war in Ukraine. And so the idea that sports is somehow going to be separate from this - there really is a blending. And the players are going to have to figure out what they want to do with this because they're not escaping. They're not separate from it. But at the same time, it doesn't feel like a fair situation. But none of this is fair.
SIMON: Playoff time in America. Golden State came from 19 points behind last night to defeat the Mavericks. No salve (ph) for the Mavs. Impossible for Dallas to come back? They're down 2-0.
BRYANT: No, not at all. You got two games coming into Dallas. You've got 1-1 over in Boston and Miami. This - the playoffs have been fantastic. And to think that - I went to bed last night thinking, well, not your night, Warriors. But, of course, they've got Steph Curry. And it's happening across the board. These playoffs have been fantastic, and that does - and that includes the pucks over there as well. That includes hockey, with Connor McDavid and Edmonton. And Tampa Bay looks like they could three-peat. It's all just - it's a great time to watch.
SIMON: And the great Roger Angell has left us at the age of 101. We read some of his words earlier in the show. I wonder what you're thinking.
BRYANT: I'm thinking he's a giant. And I'm thinking he's one of the reasons why I do what I do and the joy that he gave all of us to write. You got to remember; Roger Angell was born in 1920. He was at Yankee Stadium. He saw Babe Ruth play. He saw Willie Mays play and Rickey Henderson and Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani and everybody in between. And once again, these are the people that keep us doing the things that we do. He was amazing.
SIMON: Howard Bryant, thanks so much.
BRYANT: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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https://www.wvasfm.org/sports/sports/2022-05-21/saturday-sports-equal-pay-in-u-s-soccer-nba-and-nhl-playoffs-continue
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MILAN (AP) — Italian vessels have recovered five bodies and rescued 674 people packed on a fishing boat adrift in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast, the Italian Coast Guard said Sunday, while European charities reported saving more than 500 more.
Some of the survivors had to be plucked from the sea in the Italian operation Saturday that was carried out 120 miles (190 kilometers) off the coast of Calabria by a Navy mercantile ship, three Coast Guard patrol boats and a financial police boat. All of those rescued were brought to ports in Calabria and Sicily.
The causes of death for the five dead were not immediately known.
The Coast Guard said it was just one in a series of rescues in recent days in the Italian search and rescue area of the central Mediterranean, as desperate people fleeing poverty or oppression seek a better life in Europe. In one case, a helicopter was called to evacuate a woman in need of medical treatment from a migrant boat in a precarious condition, the Coast Guard said.
In separate operations, the German charity Sea-Watch said it rescued 444 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean on overcrowded, rickety smugglers’ boats. The Sea-Watch 3 vessel carried out the five operations over 24 hours, and said the rescued included a pregnant woman and a man who had suffered severe burns.
The charity is asking for permission to bring the rescued people to a safe port, as the rescue ship is unable to accommodate so many people.
In addition, the European charity SOS Mediterannee said its rescue ship Ocean Viking have saved 87 people, including 57 unaccompanied minors, from an overcrowded rubber boat off the Libyan coast. None had life jackets, the charity said.
Migrant arrivals in Italy are up by nearly one-quarter from 2021, with 34,013 recorded through Friday.
While still notably fewer than the 2015 peak year, the crossings remain deadly, with 1,234 people recorded dead or missing at sea by the U.N. refugee agency this year, 823 of those in the perilous central Mediterranean.
___
Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.
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https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-international/mediterranean-ships-find-5-dead-rescue-over-1100-migrants/
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MCLEAN, Va., May 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE: AAIC) (the "Company") today announced that its Board of Directors authorized a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 per share of its 7.00% Series B Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Stock (NYSE: AAIC PrB) (the "Series B Preferred Stock") and a quarterly dividend of $0.515625 per share of its 8.250% Series C Fixed-to-Floating Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (NYSE: AAIC PrC) (the "Series C Preferred Stock") for the second quarter of 2022. Dividends for the Series B Preferred Stock and Series C Preferred Stock will both be payable on June 30, 2022 to shareholders of record on June 15, 2022. The tax characterization to shareholders of the distribution will be determined after the end of the calendar year and will be reported to shareholders on Form 1099-DIV.
About the Company
The Company currently invests primarily in mortgage-related and other assets and has elected to be taxed as a REIT. The Company is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonasset.com.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding dividend payments. Forward-looking statements can be identified by forward-looking language, including words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "plans," "continues," "intends," "should", "may," and similar expressions. Due to known and unknown risks, including the risk that the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based prove to be inaccurate, actual results may differ materially from expectations or projections. These risks also include those described in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") from time to time, which are available from the Company and from the SEC, and you should read and understand these risks when evaluating any forward-looking statement. Readers of this press release are cautioned to consider these risks and uncertainties and not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, relating to matters discussed in this press release, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
View original content:
SOURCE Arlington Asset Investment Corp.
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https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/05/25/arlington-asset-investment-corp-declares-second-quarter-2022-dividends-preferred-stock/
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Hunter Ray's 5-yard TD pass to Braswell Thomas gave the Caper Tigers (2-0) a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. Lower, which trailed 10-7 at halftime, scored 13 unanswered to win, capped by Isiah Carr-Wing's 16-yard TD at the end of the third quarter. Pennsville fell to 1-1.
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I graduated from Rowan University in 2011 where I studied journalism. I covered local high school and college sports at the South Jersey Times and Vineland Daily Journal. I have been a sports reporter with The Press since July 2013
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https://pressofatlanticcity.com/lower-cape-may-reg-20-pennsville-10-final/article_46fb6be6-3079-11ed-bbd8-df5d2795d4dd.html
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McKinsey chooses Atlanta to expand and diversify its tech workforce creating a Technology and Innovation Hub and recently re-launching its Digital Capability Center
ATLANTA, July 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- McKinsey & Company today announced it will continue its commitment to expand and diversify its workforce in Atlanta over the next three years—growing its number of Atlanta-based colleagues from 800 to 1,500. The newly expanded office, with a second location to open in 2023, will be home to the Technology and Innovation Hub.
The Tech and Innovation Hub brings together two McKinsey groups: the Client Capabilities Network (CCN) and the Tech Ecosystem. The CCN is made up of industry and functional experts who support clients, both in person and remotely, with solutions, frameworks and diagnostics. "In our Tech Ecosystem, we bring together a range of technical experts who conceive, build, and run our firm's digital capabilities," explains Leslie Giordano, chief operating officer of McKinsey's Tech Ecosystem. "They focus on cloud, security, and maximizing the effectiveness of the technologies we use as a firm and with our clients."
A historical beacon for civil rights and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with a thriving 51% Black population and vibrant LGBTQ+ community, investing in Atlanta is part of McKinsey's commitment to developing a modern and diverse technology workforce. Further, this growth in technical expertise reflects the next wave in consulting: using the latest in tech and analytics to better serve McKinsey's clients.
"Two years ago, we made a commitment to expand and create a modern and diverse tech workforce. We knew this would mean hiring hundreds of new colleagues," recalls Steve Reis, a senior partner who led McKinsey's Atlanta office for four years. "As we looked at cities across the globe, Atlanta had a magical mix of both diversity and a large pool of tech talent from nearby universities, including four historically Black colleges and universities."
The newly expanded Digital Capability Center in Atlanta is a state-of-the-art facility that provides companies the inspiration, knowledge, and skills to adopt next generation digital technologies; and the Design-to-Value lab helps clients improve the performance of products and services.
"Aligning tech and consulting in one location gives us the opportunity to deeply integrate and bring the best of our firm to our clients," says Tiffany Burns, a senior partner who leads the Atlanta office today. "What we can offer colleagues is the chance to do exciting work on issues that people are passionate about. We have teams focused on sustainability, building businesses, working with organizations to upskill and reskill their people, and helping with transformations across a variety of industries and functions."
For nearly 45 years, Atlanta has played important role for McKinsey. The firm is proud to deepen its commitment to the community by expanding and diversifying its workforce in Atlanta.
About McKinsey & Company
McKinsey is a global management consulting firm committed to helping organizations accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth. We work with clients across the private, public, and social sectors to solve complex problems and create positive change for all their stakeholders. We combine bold strategies and transformative technologies to help organizations innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next.
CONTACT
Liz Houston
917-498-9702
liz_houston@mckinsey.com
View original content:
SOURCE McKinsey & Company
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https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/07/07/mckinsey-amp-company-commits-nearly-doubling-tech-workforce-atlanta-by-2025/
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Combined Organization will Reinforce Full-Service Product Design + Development
DENVER, July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ERI Group, formerly Evergreen Research, a leader in end-to-end medical product design and development, quality assurance, regulatory affairs and contract manufacturing services, and LINK Product Development (LINK) an industrial design, engineering, and product design firm, announce that they have merged to strengthen their full-service product design and development offerings.
The merger will create one of the most comprehensive medical, healthcare and wellness product development companies in the region, with an end-to-end suite of services from initial concept through moderate volume manufacturing that are unparalleled and genuinely provide a differentiated level of support for our clients.
"This is an extremely exciting opportunity for ERI Group and LINK, and we are thrilled to extend our current working relationship with LINK and to bring their team's excellence and experience into the ERI Group," says Natasha Bond, president of ERI Group. "The merger of our two organizations and our investment in talent and technology will help us to better meet the growing needs of our clients, allowing us to add early development and industrial design capabilities to our existing depth of capability in mechanical, electrical, software and system engineering, quality, regulatory and manufacturing services. We are confident our newly formed partnership will have a positive impact on our clients, our teams and the delivery of innovative medical devices and health and wellness products to the marketplace."
As part of the merger, LINK founder, Marc Hanchak, and his team will become part of ERI Group. Marc will serve as Vice President of Product Development at ERI Group and continue to oversee industrial design, engineering, project management, and product design.
"The partnership between ERI Group and LINK will allow us to create a full-service company that is focused on innovation and is committed to delivering forward-thinking concepts to market," says Hanchak. "LINK's mission to create products that improve people's lives matches the ERI philosophy of empowering visions for life-changing products. Our shared mission, parallel cultures, and commitment to our clients created the perfect opportunity to join our organizations into a stronger, integrated, and multidisciplinary firm focused on exciting advancements."
ERI Group provides development engineering, manufacturing, quality assurance and regulatory affairs services, spanning mechanical, electrical and software skill sets, for the next generation of health care, medical, laboratory and consumer wellness products and technologies. Focused on the advancement of health care at hospitals, acute care facilities, emergency rooms, first responder organizations, blood banks and in-home care since 1988, the company has empowered its customers to bring life-changing products to market. Clients of all sizes, from established corporations to early-stage companies, rely on ERI Group's expertise in all classes of medical devices and diagnostic instruments. Areas of specialty include fluidics and blood handling, embedded software and controls, advanced electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering and design-for-manufacture, systems engineering and usability by design, integration of critical consensus standards for streamlined design approval and safety certifications, global regulatory approvals and more. ERI Group is situated west of Denver, Colorado, in Golden. For more information, visit www.erigroup.com or email info@erigroup.com.
LINK is a Denver-based product development, industrial design, and engineering firm. LINK collaborates with entrepreneurs and businesses to bring new concepts to life through design, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing and to create products that improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.linkpd.com.
Contact: Aimee Miller
Aimee Miller Marketing & Communications
303.549.9034
aimee@aimeemillermarketing.com
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https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/26/eri-group-link-product-development-announce-merger/
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SEATTLE (AP)For at least one week this season, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves all alone in first place in the NFC West.
In no other week might it be a sweeter feeling for the Seahawks then after Week 1 and their 17-16 upset of the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
With all the attention focused on Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle with the Broncos after his offseason trade to Denver, the Seahawks managed to steal a victory despite being a touchdown underdog at home.
And there watching it all unfold was a group of former Seahawks. The night was a family reunion of sorts, with Richard Sherman, Doug Baldwin, Marshawn Lynch, Sidney Rice, Cliff Avril and K.J. Wright all strolling along the sideline before the game waiting to see what Wilson would do in his first game no longer in a Seahawks uniform.
By the end of the night those former Seahawks players seemed to be celebrating just as much as the players in the locker room responsible for the victory.
”It was obvious how much they wanted to win the game,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said on his radio show on KIRO-AM on Tuesday. ”And we were representing them with everything we were doing and we were playing for them as much.”
While the victory was lustfully celebrated by coaches, players and fans that gladly booed Wilson most of the night, it was still just one game and there were plenty of faults the Seahawks showed. They didn’t suddenly change the expected narrative of this being a season of restructuring for Seattle.
But Seattle may end up being more competitive than expected, especially if Geno Smith can perform as he did in the first half against the Broncos when he was nearly perfect.
”It was just another win, great win, with the team,” Smith said. ”I love the way our guys stood up. I love the passion we played with, and we just have to keep that going.”
WHAT’S WORKING
Seattle’s defense was on the field too much in the second half and gave up 433 total yards, but its red zone defense was superb. Denver had three red zone possession in the second half and came away with just three points thanks to two fumbles near the goal line.
Seattle’s defensive line anchored by Poona Ford, Al Woods and Shelby Harris were notably solid during those goal-line situations and keeping the Broncos from finding the end zone.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
Seattle’s second-half offense was putrid. The Seahawks managed 34 total yards and had just five first downs, two of which came via penalty. Smith was 17 of 18 for 164 yards in the first half, but faced too many long-yardage situations in the second half and couldn’t sustain drives.
STOCK UP
Edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu was thought of as a nice addition to Seattle’s defensive front in the offseason and could be a good rotational player.
He showed plenty more than just being a nice addition in the opener. He was constantly wrecking Denver’s plans. Nwosu finished with seven tackles, one sack, one pass breakup and forced one of the two goal-line fumbles by the Broncos.
”They brought me here for a reason. I kind of feel like I was not perceived as the player I think I am, and I have to go out there and show it. As many times as I have to do it, I’ll do it,” Nwosu said. ”To be able to do it in a place like this, with the crowd behind you like that, it’s surreal and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
STOCK DOWN
Rookie cornerback Coby Bryant only played two defensive snaps in the first game of his career and ended up allowing a 67-yard touchdown on one of the two. It was a great route by Jerry Jeudy and a good throw by Wilson, but a forgettable moment for Bryant.
Seattle still has high hopes for the fourth-round pick and last year’s Jim Thorpe Award winner at Cincinnati. But his debut was rough.
INJURIES
Seattle lost starting safety Jamal Adams likely for the season after he suffered a serious knee injury in the first quarter. Carroll didn’t have specifics on his radio show on Tuesday, but said Adams would ”need to get some work done,” referencing surgery to repair the injury.
Adams missed four games in his first season with Seattle in 2020 because of injuries and missed the final five games of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He also injured his finger on the first day of training camp this year and was going to have to play the season with extra protection on his hand.
”I don’t know the extent of it yet, but I know it’s serious,” Carroll said. ”It just breaks your heart. He loves the game so much. We’re going to miss him so much.”
KEY NUMBER
7-1 – The Seahawks are 7-1 against this week’s opponent, San Francisco, since the 49ers moved into their new stadium in 2014.
NEXT STEPS
Seattle will try and start 2-0 for the third time in the past four seasons if it can win at San Francisco on Sunday.
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL
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https://www.fox16.com/nfl/first-place-seahawks-relish-unexpected-1-0-start-to-season/
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U.S. President Joe Biden has renewed calls for the safe return of American Journalist Austin Tice who went missing in Syria over a decade ago.
On Wednesday Biden urged leaders in Damascus to help secure the repatriation of Tice as pressure continues to increase on the White House by families of hostages and detainees, Reuters reported.
Biden said that the U.S. government knows now "with certainty" that the U.S. journalist has been held by the Syrian government and called on the Syrian government to release him after 10 years in captivity, CNN reported.
Biden said, "We know with certainty that he has been held by the Syrian regime." The president said, "We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home."
Biden urged movement on the case for Tice's family, saying, "On the tenth anniversary of his abduction, I am calling on Syria to end this and help us bring him home." He said, "Tice family deserves answers, and more importantly, they deserve to be swiftly reunited with Austin."
According to CNN, the Syrian government and leader Bashar al-Assad, have not publicly acknowledged that Tice is being detained there.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday, "Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will continue to engage with the Syrian government in close coordination with the White House, Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and our team here at the State Department."
Carstens secretly traveled to Damascus to meet with government officials there in 2020 while under then president Donald Trump. Then in May, he met with a top Lebanese security official in Washington to "discuss US citizens who are missing or detained in Syria."
A top priority for the Tice family and U.S. officials is to continue to engage with the Syrian government and keep that engagement sustained.
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https://www.kbzk.com/news/national/biden-urges-syrian-government-to-aid-in-return-of-missing-us-journalist-austin-tice
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Jury verdict, affirmed by judge, is one of largest under Texas law
DALLAS, June 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A judge has affirmed a $250,000 jury verdict for a woman in a revenge porn and invasion of privacy lawsuit, finding that her ex-boyfriend posted intimate images of her that appeared across more than 200 internet web pages over four years.
The verdict is one of the first – and largest – in litigation involving the 2015 Texas Relationship Privacy Act.
Collin County District Judge Benjamin Smith issued the final judgment on Monday in the lawsuit, which was filed in 2020 and decided by a jury in November 2021. Judge Smith issued a separate permanent injunction ordering 26-year-old Diego Rotea of Allen to remove the images from a list of websites and imageboard groups, many of which are notorious for posting revenge porn images.
During the trial, Dallas attorney Kenton Hutcherson presented evidence that Mr. Rotea had posted more than 25 explicit photos of his former girlfriend beginning in December 2016.
"This has been a living nightmare that, sadly, has become all too common," Mr. Hutcherson said. "This jury heard the evidence and understood the profound impact this nightmare has had on this young woman. Hopefully, the verdict will send a message that behavior like this is outrageous and can have costly consequences."
After discovering the images in November 2018, the 26-year-old woman went to the Allen Police Department whose investigators never pursued the matter. In June 2020, she asked Frisco police to help, but that resulted in only a cursory investigation.
Images continued to post through 2020, even after the woman confronted Mr. Rotea and told him to stop. The postings disrupted the woman's life to the point that she gave up her career as a middle school teacher out of fear that the images would be discovered.
View comments about the case from Mr. Hutcherson and the plaintiff here.
A pioneer in developing solutions at the intersection of the law and technology, Hutcherson Law has a national reputation for representing individuals and businesses in litigation involving defamation of character, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, domain name disputes, internet marketing disputes, and invasion of privacy. For more information, visit https://hutchersonlaw.com/.
Media Contact:
Rhonda Reddick
800-559-4534
rhonda@androvett.com
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https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/06/20/texas-woman-awarded-250000-revenge-porn-lawsuit-against-ex-boyfriend/
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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s inflation rate hit a new 40-year high of 9.1% in the 12 months to May, figures showed Wednesday, as Russia’s war in Ukraine drove food and fuel prices ever higher.
The Office for National Statistics said consumer price inflation rose slightly from 9% in April, itself the highest level since 1982.
Chief economist Grant Fitzner said “continued steep food price rises and record high petrol (gasoline) prices were offset by clothing costs rising by less than this time last year, and a drop in often fluctuating computer games prices.”
The increase was in line with analysts’ expectations and signals no quick end to the cost-of-living squeeze facing millions in Britain. The Bank of England says inflation could hit 11% in October when a cap on domestic energy bills is raised.
Jack Leslie, senior economist at economic inequality think-tank the Resolution Foundation, said inflation would likely climb further in June because of “the big spike in petrol prices over the past month.”
“With the economic outlook so unclear, no-one one knows how high inflation could go, and how long it will continue for – making fiscal and monetary policy judgements particularly tough,” he said.
Inflation is soaring worldwide. U.S. consumer prices surged 8.6% in May, the biggest jump since 1981, while the 19 countries that use the euro saw a record 8.1% increase the same month.
Central banks have been raising interest rates to curb inflation, including the U.S. Federal Reserve carrying out its largest hike in nearly three decades last week and the Bank of England approving its fifth increase since December in the same week. The European Central Bank says it will raise rates in July and September for the first time in 11 years.
They are trying to ease inflation without slowing economic growth — or even triggering a recession.
Millions of people in Britain, like those across Europe, are seeing their cost of living soar, in part driven by the war in Ukraine that is squeezing supplies of energy and food staples such as wheat.
The pressure is driving British workers to seek substantial pay increases, a move the Conservative government argues could spark a wage-price spiral, driving inflation even higher.
Tens of thousands of railway workers are walking off the job for three days this week in the country’s biggest transit strike for three decades, and a potential precursor to a summer of labor discontent.
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https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/uk-inflation-rate-hits-new-40-year-high-of-9-1/
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BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Agree Realty Corporation (NYSE: ADC) (the "Company") today announced the release of its 2021 environmental, social and governance ("ESG") report. The report is aligned with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures frameworks.
"I'm pleased to share our environmental, social and governance achievements since publishing our inaugural ESG report last year," said Joey Agree, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We have made continued progress on our ESG initiatives, including enhancing our disclosure through the incorporation of climate-related and investor-preferred frameworks into this year's report. We remain steadfastly committed to social and environmental responsibility and believe our efforts will create long-term value for our stakeholders while addressing the impacts of climate change and improving the communities in which we operate."
The report can be viewed and downloaded from the Company's website at www.agreerealty.com/esg-report-2021.
Agree Realty Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that is RETHINKING RETAIL through the acquisition and development of properties net leased to industry-leading, omni-channel retail tenants. As of March 31, 2022, the Company owned and operated a portfolio of 1,510 properties, located in 47 states and containing approximately 31.0 million square feet of gross leasable area. The Company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ADC". For additional information on the Company and RETHINKING RETAIL, please visit www.agreerealty.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements about the future impact of the Company's current ESG initiatives, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and includes this statement for purposes of complying with these safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "potential," "intend," "expect," "seek," "anticipate," "estimate," "approximately," "believe," "could," "project," "predict," "forecast," "continue," "assume," "plan," "outlook" or other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and can include future expectations, future plans and strategies, financial and operating projections or other forward-looking information.
Although these forward-looking statements are based on good faith beliefs, reasonable assumptions and the Company's best judgment reflecting current information, you should not rely on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could materially affect the Company's results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance or future achievements or events. Such risks and uncertainties include the risks noted in reports that we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the Risk Factors identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as additional factors we may describe from time to time in other filings with the SEC. Additional important factors, among others, that may cause the Company's actual results to vary include the general deterioration in national economic conditions, weakening of real estate markets, decreases in the availability of credit, increases in interest rates, adverse changes in the retail industry and the Company's continuing ability to qualify as a REIT. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date hereof. Unless legally required, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in the Company's expectations or assumptions or otherwise.
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https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/06/29/agree-realty-releases-2021-environmental-social-amp-governance-report/
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Electronic Monitoring Program Go-Live is expected within 90 days of Project Launch
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SuperCom (NASDAQ: SPCB), a global provider of secured solutions for the e-Government, IoT, and Cybersecurity sectors, is pleased to announce that it, together with its local partner, has been awarded an over $33 million contract by the national government of an European Union (EU) member country to deploy its PureSecurity Electronic Monitoring (EM) Suite for a domestic violence monitoring, GPS Tracking of offenders and home detention monitoring program.
SuperCom's PureSecurity Suite is a best-of-breed electronic monitoring and tracking platform with a comprehensive set of innovative features, including advanced anti-tamper mechanisms, multi-factor biometrics, the newest location technologies and sensors, practically limitless historic data, seamless 3rd party API integration, and an ultra-light weight ankle-bracelet with proprietary energy efficiency algorithms.
This is the country's first EM project, linking it with a long list of nations choosing SuperCom's EM solutions and further expanding SuperCom's footprint into an additional country in the EU. The nationwide program is expected to encompass all EM offender programs within the country, up to 15,000 enrollees simultaneously, and include a unique integration of multiple offender tracking sub-programs.
The awarded value of the contract based on the government's internal budgeting is over $33 million. The budget is based mainly on monitoring software, EM products and complimentary services spread over five years, plus an additional two years of continued services. EM Program go-live is expected within the first 90 days of project launch.
"We are excited with this award, the largest European EM project awarded so far this year. It further validates our strategy to scale up operations to accelerate growth and improve public safety in more nations around the world. We look forward to supporting another EU member country's public safety efforts and bringing them the many benefits of SuperCom's proprietary EM technology. It is an honor to take part in this national initiative by building the necessary infrastructure and deploying this country's first EM program," commented Ordan Trabelsi, President & CEO of SuperCom.
"This competitive tender process that just concluded is the first of several tenders for large scale national European EM projects that are expected to be concluded in 2022 and 2023, with a total estimated value of over $200 million. With this meaningful win, SuperCom is once again signaling, after more than 10 other recent national European EM project wins, the superiority of its value offering in the European EM space. We believe our growing reputation as a leading global EM solution provider will drive additional wins in the future," concluded Mr. Trabelsi.
The award was won through a formal bid process, with over 8 international companies taking part in the bidding process. The process included several rounds of negotiations and several demonstrations and system tests by the contracting authority. The award will go through a customary standstill waiting period before contract signing is approved and the project is launched. SuperCom management expects to provide further information on such in follow-up announcements.
About SuperCom
Since 1988, SuperCom has been a global provider of traditional and digital identity solutions, providing advanced safety, identification, and security solutions to governments and organizations, both private and public, throughout the world. Through its proprietary e-Government platforms and innovative solutions for traditional and biometrics enrollment, personalization, issuance and border control services, SuperCom has inspired governments and national agencies to design and issue secure Multi-ID documents and robust digital identity solutions to its citizens and visitors. SuperCom offers a unique all-in-one field-proven RFID & mobile technology and product suite, accompanied by advanced complementary services for various industries including healthcare and homecare, security and safety, community public safety, law enforcement, electronic monitoring, livestock monitoring, and building and access automation. For more information, please visit SuperCom's website, www.supercom.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements preceded or followed by or that otherwise include the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "projects", "estimates", "plans", and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "will", "should", "would", "may" and "could" are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical or current facts. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding business and economic trends, the anticipated effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on travel and physical locations, the levels of consumer, business and economic confidence generally, the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and severity of such outbreak, the pace of recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak, status of contractual awards and related commitments and contingencies, the effect on our supply chain, our ability to implement cost containment and business recovery strategies and resulting anticipated impact of such outbreak on our business, financial condition and results of operations, the adverse effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business or the market price of our ordinary shares, and other risks and uncertainties described in the forward looking statements and in the section captioned "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 4, 2022, our reports on Form 6-K filed from time to time with the SEC and our other filings with the SEC. Except as required by law, we not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1717536/SuperCom_Logo.jpg
SuperCom Investor Relations:
ir@supercom.com
Kirin Smith
PCG Advisory
ksmith@pcgadvisory.com
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SOURCE SuperCom Ltd.
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https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/24/supercom-awarded-33-million-national-electronic-monitoring-contract-eu-member-country/
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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed the PACT Act, a bill expanding health care access for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
Survivors and the loved ones of victims were at the White House for the emotional ceremony.
Veteran Ken Brownell said the day was “a great emotional release.”
“I’ve been fighting for this for years,” veteran Brandi Benson said.
Before Wednesday, many veterans say they suffered in the shadows.
“This is the most significant law our nation has ever passed to help millions of veterans,” Biden said.
Veteran John Baenen said he and his entire troop returned home with invisible wounds and conditions the VA refused to treat.
“I was 28 years old and did a cat scan … they told me I had the bone structure of a 58-year-old man,” he said. “We’re recognized now. We couldn’t even get the government to recognize us.”
The president said starting immediately, veterans can get coverage for 23 health care conditions that were previously denied.
For Danielle Robinson and many other families, the coverage comes too late. Danielle Robinson is the widow of Heath Robinson, who the bill is named after.
“It’s just bittersweet,” Danielle Robinson said. “He was around a burn pit for three months in Iraq.”
Their daughter was by the president’s side during the signing.
“I didn’t see this coming at all when we were fighting our battle, but I’m grateful for it happening. And I’m grateful for being the face of this if I had to be,” Danielle Robinson said.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough said his administration is already hiring thousands to handle an influx of patients no longer in the shadows.
“The VA is ready to take this on,” McDonough said.
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https://www.wric.com/washington-dc/bittersweet-biden-signs-bill-for-veterans-exposed-to-toxic-burn-pits/
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NEW YORK, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear aligner innovator, Candid, has partnered with Altius Healthcare Management to bring their fusion of in-person and remote orthodontic technology to practices throughout the Lone Star State. This key partnership will provide high-demand clear aligner treatment to Altius' patients and prove Candid's unique value to rural populations.
Founded in 2016, Altius has long been committed to bringing excellent oral healthcare to rural Texans.
"Our founders noticed that providers in rural areas were retiring and younger dentists were not taking their places," says Altius CEO, Darren Boggs. "We increase access to dental services in these smaller markets while providing stable career opportunities in the communities we serve."
Candid is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of Altius' patients by minimizing in-person appointments. Its remote monitoring platform, CandidMonitoring™, lets patients share photos of their teeth with their dentist every 14 days to ensure treatment is tracking according to plan. While the treating clinician may recommend as many in-person appointments as they would like, only two are required—one for pre-treatment records and one for post-treatment records.
"In rural areas, access to care is limited—especially for orthodontics," says Boggs. "In many cases, our patients must drive over 30 minutes to find an orthodontist. Our goal is to provide a strong alternative to traditional braces that is affordable and convenient for our patients. We think Candid aligns perfectly with our mission of expanding access to care in rural communities."
"Partnering with Altius is particularly exciting because it shows how Candid can empower practices in rural communities with a convenient way to generate revenue while meeting patient demand," says Candid's CEO, Nick Greenfield. "Our clear aligner system is designed to meet the needs of any dental practice and their patients—no matter where they're located."
As Altius begins rolling out Candid at their locations, the excitement among practice staff is building.
"Our doctors and staff are excited to offer Candid clear aligners in their offices," says Boggs. "We anticipate that Candid will bring new patients interested in clear aligners into their practices, which they can convert into loyal customers. With the right incentives, training, and support, we believe that Candid will become a meaningful part of our revenue streams."
About Candid
Candid is a clear aligner orthodontic system that makes treatment accessible and affordable for doctors and patients. Since 2020, Candid has brought high-quality clear aligners and patient support to dental practices and dental service organizations across the United States via CandidPro. Learn more at candidco.com.
About Altius
Altius is the largest DSO focused on serving rural populations in the State of Texas. Founded in 2016, Altius strives to bring quality, compassionate, and accessible oral healthcare to their patients while creating economic opportunities in the communities they serve. Learn more at altiusdental.com.
Related Links
https://www.candidco.com
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https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/candid-altius-partner-bring-clear-aligner-convenience-texas/
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Speedee Labs Will Focus on Innovation, Driving the Customer and Restaurant Team Experience Forward
CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, McDonald's Corporation is announcing the establishment of a new facility, Speedee Labs, which will be focused on driving the customer experience and supporting restaurant teams through innovation, at its global headquarters (MHQ) located at 110 N. Carpenter Street in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood. An example of McDonald's commitment to the city of Chicago, this new facility will bring teams from McDonald's corporate office and the existing Innovation Center (IC) in Romeoville, IL together in a new innovative environment creating more opportunities for collaboration and end-to-end development of restaurant solutions and technologies.
Introduced in 1948, McDonald's Speedee Service System revolutionized the way a restaurant could operate. New kitchen processes streamlined crew responsibilities, making it easier than ever to serve customers efficiently. Now, through Speedee Labs, McDonald's will continue to define tomorrow's restaurant solutions.
"Our customers' and restaurant teams' needs are changing, and meeting their expectations requires us to work together in new ways," said Manu Steijaert, McDonald's Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. "Just as the creation of McDonald's Customer Experience team brought key aspects of our business strategy together, the creation of Speedee Labs will enable more of our customers, restaurant teams, markets and global teams to contribute to our innovation, while driving growth and creating more seamless and memorable McDonald's experiences."
The new facility will utilize a combination of McDonald's existing footprint as well as an additional 15,000 square feet in leased space within the same building as MHQ, furthering McDonald's innovation strategy and delivering solutions for a new generation of customers. Speedee Labs is expecting a phased opening to begin in the second half of 2023, which is when teams currently operating services out of the IC will relocate to MHQ.
McDonald's moved its headquarters from Oak Brook, IL to Chicago's West Loop in 2018. In the 12 months ending June 30, 2022, MHQ saw more than 11,000 visitors to the building - a figure expected to increase with the creation of Speedee Labs. Additionally, in that same time span, McDonald's System had a total impact of approximately $2B on the economy of Cook County.
"I am thrilled that McDonald's is continuing to bet on Chicago by adding Speedee Labs to their global headquarters," said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. "This new addition will draw even more visitors from around the world to our city, and I look forward to welcoming them as they come to collaborate and innovate with this iconic brand."
Since opening in 1995, McDonald's IC has offered live restaurant testing – and more recently remote, and simulation-based training – to help the global McDonald's System refine operations and develop new solutions to improve experiences for customers and restaurant teams in nearly 40,000 restaurants around the world. The IC has long been a hub for collaboration among the company, suppliers and franchisees on customer-facing solutions and driving innovation within the System. Many strategic initiatives for the McDonald's System, including streamlined kitchen processes, updated cooking methods, McDelivery and Mobile Order and Pay, were developed or tested at the Innovation Center.
McDonald's plans to relocate all jobs from its Innovation Center in Romeoville to MHQ's Speedee Labs, adding to its Cook County workforce. In total, in the 12 months ending June 30, 2022, the McDonald's System supported more than 14,000 jobs in Cook County.
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SOURCE McDonald's Corporation
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https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/mcdonalds-open-speedee-labs-within-companys-chicago-global-headquarters/
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CHICAGO, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Democrats for the Illinois House, the official political arm of the Illinois House Democratic Caucus, announces Executive Director Lizbeth Ramirez will be departing to pursue other opportunities. Speaker Welch thanks Ramirez for her hard work and efforts to help the House Democratic Caucus.
Speaker Welch said, "Lizbeth stepped up and helped pull together a new political organization for the House Democrats. She committed to assisting with our efforts through the primary election, and I am incredibly appreciative for all that she accomplished. The caucus owes her a debt of gratitude for all of her hard work."
The organization's Chief Communications Officer, TaQuoya McConnico, will take the reins as Executive Director through the upcoming general election.
TaQuoya McConnico, a United States Air Force Veteran, is an award-winning communications and marketing professional and former WVON News Director. She also served as a Vice President at Teneo Strategy, a global CEO consulting and advisory firm founded. TaQuoya has received numerous awards for her work, including Verizon Wireless HQ Communications Improvement Recognition, President Obama's Call to Service Award, and The Village of Maywood Helping Hand Award. She was also named one of Chicago's Top Professionals Under the Age of 40 to watch by the Chicago Defender.
"Since joining the team early this year, TaQuoya has been an integral part of the growth and the development of Democrats for the Illinois House," said speaker Welch. "I look forward to the leadership she brings in helping us continue to grow and elevate our practices, build the culture for this new and vibrant organization, and incorporate old proven methodologies with the more modern and digital era."
McConnico led efforts to further build Democrats for the Illinois House including moving them further into social media and digital marketing.
"I am excited to continue to serve the Democratic Caucus in this more expanded role," said McConnico. "I care about each and every one of our legislators, their successes, and the success of our Caucus and communities. I couldn't be more excited to help Speaker Welch in continuing to forge a new era for House Democrats."
About Democrats for the Illinois House: Democrats for the Illinois House is the official political arm of the Illinois House Democratic Caucus. We support Democrats for the Illinois House in fighting for equality, justice, and opportunity for all. Under the leadership of House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, Democrats for Illinois House (DIH) is dedicated to promoting the excellent work of the caucus, protecting incumbents, winning competitive races, and serving Illinoisans with integrity. The Illinois House Democratic Caucus is one of the most diverse in the nation representing African-American (22), Latinx (10), Asian American (4), Women (39) and LGBTQ+ (4) members. DIH is committed to creating an environment across the state that is inclusive and welcoming to all people.
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SOURCE Democrats for the Illinois House
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https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/democrats-illinois-house-announce-leadership-change/
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- Company heightens vegetation management practices to protect endangered wildflower, threatened lizard in Marion County
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to support the vitality of a healthy ecosystem, Duke Energy Florida has aligned efforts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), among other agencies, to protect a population of federally endangered wildflowers in central Florida.
Earlier this spring, Duke Energy environmental scientists joined various agencies and stakeholders to maximize the preservation and protection of the federally endangered clasping warea (Warea amplexifolia) and the federally threatened sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) found in an unincorporated community in Marion County, near Ocklawaha.
The annual wildflower occurs nowhere else in the world other than the central ridges in Florida, with the Ocklawaha population being among one of the largest of identified populations. By protecting the plant's habitat, the team is supporting other species that depend on it, like the sand skink.
"Powering the lives of our communities extends far beyond keeping the lights on for our customers," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "Duke Energy is proud to work alongside our community allies to protect Florida's most-treasured species and the habitats they depend on."
A first for Duke Energy in Florida, the company is installing "sensitive habitat" management signage within its rights-of-way corridors to alert contractors and crews working in these areas. The company has also shifted its vegetation management practices to limit mowing and lower the volume of herbicide used in targeted areas to help the plants grow and flourish.
"Duke Energy Florida's willingness to support management of the endangered clasping warea on its lands alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program speaks volumes," said USFWS' Partners for Fish and Wildlife/Coastal Program Coordinator Chad Allison. "The cooperation inspires and engages a network of state and federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private landowners alike proving conservation and industry can not only coexist but can ultimately thrive."
The collaboration furthers Duke Energy and Duke Energy Foundation's commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement. Since 2015, the Duke Energy Foundation has provided more than $188,000 in grants to the Rare Plant Conservation program at Bok Tower Gardens to establish new populations of the clasping warea through seed preservation, habitat quality improvements, biological research and increasing plant numbers in the wild.
Among the project team leading these efforts are Duke Energy Florida, USFWS, Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS), Bok Tower Gardens, FNPS-Marion Big Scrub Chapter, Putnam Land Conservancy, as well as volunteers and private landowners.
The team will continue to engage landowners in the area, bringing awareness to the ways they can support and protect the species now and in the future.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit fws.gov. Connect with our Facebook page at facebook.com/usfwssoutheast, follow our tweets at twitter.com/usfwssoutheast, watch our YouTube channel at youtube.com/usfws, and download photos from our Flickr page at flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Duke Energy media contact: Audrey Stasko
Cell: 315.877.3031
Media line: 800.559.3853
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service media contact: Renee Bodine
Phone: 352.451.8126
Email: renee_bodine@fws.gov
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SOURCE Duke Energy
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https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/duke-energy-ramps-up-environmental-efforts-joins-forces-protect-vulnerable-wildlife-florida/
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2 women killed in suspected street takeover crash near LA
COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Two women were killed in a weekend crash during what authorities are investigating as a possible street takeover in Compton.
The women were in a red Honda sedan that collided with an SUV at an intersection around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
One woman was ejected from the car, officials said.
Approximately 200 people had gathered in the area before the collision to watch the illegal street takeover, in which drivers perform dangerous stunts in their vehicles, according to KTLA-TV.
Investigators didn’t immediately know if the Honda was part of the takeover.
The driver of the SUV, Treyshawn Cooley, said he had a green light when he crossed the intersection.
“I’m coming straight, and they come out and I hit them,” Cooley told KABC-TV.
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https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2022/06/13/2-women-killed-in-suspected-street-takeover-crash-near-la/
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Three new Classic plate designs, printed on silver sheeting.
AUSTIN, Texas, July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- My Plates, the official vendor for specialty license plates in Texas has launched three new Classic license plate designs, all printed on reflective "silver" sheeting. These new designs are available in three colors, Classic Blue Silver, Classic Pink Silver and the ever popular Classic Black Silver.
Each of these new designs will be available to personalize up to 7 characters, or Texans can also choose the background only option.
"It's our very popular Classic Texas look, trimmed out in Silver" said Steve Farrar, CEO/President of My Plates.
Texans wishing to purchase any of these new designs may do so by visiting www.MyPlates.com starting from only $50 a year or as low as $35 a year when purchased for a five-year term. You do not have to wait until you receive your registration renewal notice; you can order at any time.
Since November 2009, Texans have purchased more than 600,000 My Plates, putting more than $125M in the general revenue fund, which helps pay for services for all Texans.
My Plates designs and markets new specialty license plates as a vendor for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. My Plates' goal is to create a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship designed to maximize revenues for the state through the sale of My Plates specialty plates. Learn more at www.MyPlates.com.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) is a dynamic state agency dedicated to customer service, consumer protection and the success of motor vehicle-related industries. For every $1 the agency spends, it returns more than $10 in state revenue. These funds are primarily used to build and maintain the state's roads and bridges. Each year the agency registers approximately 25 million vehicles; regulates vehicle dealers; credentials buses and big trucks for intrastate and interstate commerce; issues oversize and overweight permits; and awards grants to law enforcement agencies to reduce vehicle burglaries and thefts. Learn more at www.TxDMV.gov.
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SOURCE My Plates
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https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/07/26/my-plates-officially-launches-three-new-classic-silver-license-plate-designs/
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SANTA MONICA, Calif. and BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LootMogul and Aftermath Islands Metaverse have announced a multi-chain metaverse partnership that will expedite the adoption of blockchain gaming for sports organizations and athletes and truly deliver an immersive sports fans experience.
LootMogul and Aftermath Islands Metaverse are creating a new virtual island dedicated to sports gaming and are creating unique customized Avatars for celebrities, collegiate and professional athletes allowing them to engage in web3 activities and the Metaverse.
"LootMogul is super excited about this partnership as it will help the global sports community to scale their identity across chains and will drive hyper fan adoption with avatars and personalized lands - create, secure, and customize your digital version with your real-world avatar benefits," said Raj Rajkotia, CEO, LootMogul.
"We are very excited to partner with LootMogul to accelerate their Metaverse activities and bring their programs, celebrities and athletes to Aftermath Islands," said David Lucatch, Managing Director, Aftermath Islands Metaverse Limited. "Today, more than ever, it is imperative that brands and personalities stake their value in blockchain and Metaverse activities as they become the next level of consumer engagement."
Aftermath Islands is led by an experienced group of entrepreneurs, designers, and developers who have worked with some of the world's most recognized and respected brands and institutions, such as Marvel, Paramount, DC Comics, Warner Bros, and more.
About LootMogul
LootMogul is an athlete-led sports metaverse (web3 platform) that is powered by virtual real estate, training academies, blockchain games, commerce (NFTs), and in-real-life (IRL) rewards. LootMogul is expanding the web3 community by bringing web 2 gamers and sports fanatics to the metaverse. For more details, visit: https://lootmogul.com. Create and own your sports metaverse with real-world professional athletes from NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, Soccer, etc.
About Aftermath Islands Metaverse
Aftermath Islands Metaverse Limited is a Barbados corporation that is 50% owned and is controlled by Oasis Digital Studios Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc (CSE: LQID) (OTC: LQAVF) (FRA: 4T51). Aftermath Island Token Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aftermath Islands Metaverse Limited, is a British Virgin Islands corporation
Learn about Aftermath Islands' virtual worlds here and read about how the project is reimagining Metaverse experiences in the future in the project light paper and sizzle reel.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1880823/LM_Influencer.jpg
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1880936/Aftermath.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1880821/LootMogul_Logo.jpg
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE LootMogul
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https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/lootmogul-aftermath-islands-metaverse-form-strategic-metaverse-multi-chain-partnership-global-sports-fans/
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DALLAS, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CECO Environmental Corp. (Nasdaq: CECE), a leading environmentally focused, diversified industrial company whose solutions protect people, the environment and industrial equipment, today announced that Todd Gleason, Chief Executive Officer, will present at the H.C. Wainwright 24th Annual Global Investment Conference on Sep. 13 in New York. Management will also host one-on-one investor meetings throughout the day.
Additionally, management will present and host one-on-one meetings at the Lake Street 6th Annual Best IDEAS Growth Big 6 Conference on Sep. 14 in New York. The presentation can be accessed on the Lake Street conference portal for registered participants and the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.CECOEnviro.com.
ABOUT CECO ENVIRONMENTAL
CECO Environmental is a leading environmentally focused, diversified industrial company, serving a broad landscape of industrial air, industrial water and energy transition markets across the globe through its key business segments: Engineered Systems and Industrial Process Solutions. Providing innovative technology and application expertise, CECO helps companies grow their business with safe, clean, and more efficient solutions that help protect people, the environment and industrial equipment. In regions around the world, CECO works to improve air quality, optimize the energy value chain, and provide custom solutions for applications including power generation, petrochemical processing, general industrial, refining, midstream oil and gas, electric vehicle production, poly silicon fabrication, battery recycling, beverage can, and water/wastewater treatment along with a wide range of other applications. CECO is listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "CECE." Incorporated in 1966, CECO's global headquarters is in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit www.cecoenviro.com.
Investor Relations Contact:
Steven Hooser or Gary Guyton
Three Part Advisors
214-872-2710
Investor.Relations@OneCECO.com
888-990-6670
News Media:
Kimberly Plaskett
Corporate Communications Director
kplaskett@OneCECO.com
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SOURCE CECO Environmental Corp.
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https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/09/06/ceco-environmental-present-upcoming-24th-annual-hc-wainwright-global-investment-conference-lake-street-6th-annual-best-ideas-growth-conference/
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran, the United States and the European Union said Wednesday they would send senior representatives to Vienna amid what appears to be a last-ditch effort at reviving talks over Tehran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
It wasn’t immediately clear if all other parties to the landmark accord would attend the surprise summit, nor if there had been any progress after a monthslong stalemate and recent fruitless round of indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in Doha.
The European Union official who chairs the talks, Enrique Mora, said the negotiations would focus on the most recent draft to restore the agreement, while Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, said he was heading to the Austrian capital “to advance the negotiations.”
U.S. Special Representative for Iran Rob Malley wrote on Twitter that he was preparing to travel to Vienna for talks. He cautioned that American “expectations are in check” ahead of the negotiations.
“The United States welcomes EU efforts and is prepared for a good faith attempt to reach a deal. It will shortly be clear if Iran is prepared for the same,” Malley added.
The German Foreign Ministry said Berlin would be represented at an “expert level” at the talks in Vienna, adding it supported efforts to fully revive the deal “even if hopes are very small.” It again pushed Iran to conclude the deal and said that would mean “giving up maximalist positions in areas beyond” the nuclear agreement.
Russia’s chief representative at the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, also wrote on Twitter that negotiators from Russia, a key signatory of the nuclear deal, “stand ready for constructive talks in order to finalize the agreement.”
The prospects for the deal’s restoration have darkened in the past few months with major sticking points remaining, including Tehran’s demand that Washington provide guarantees that it won’t again quit the pact and that it lift terrorism sanctions on Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The abruptly called meeting in Vienna comes after EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has repeatedly pushed to break the deadlock and salvage the deal in past weeks. He recently wrote in The Financial Times that “the space for additional significant compromises has been exhausted.”
Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 deal, which lifted most international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for tight restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. Since then, Iran has massively expanded its nuclear work and now has enough highly enriched uranium to fuel one nuclear weapon, according to nonproliferation experts.
However, Iran still would need to design a bomb and a delivery system for it, likely a monthslong project. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, though U.N. experts and Western intelligence agencies say Iran had an organized military nuclear program through 2003.
___
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington, Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
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https://phl17.com/news/international/ap-international/iran-us-eu-to-send-envoys-to-vienna-for-nuclear-talks/
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FREMONT, Calif., May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leopard Imaging Inc. (Leopard Imaging), a global leader in embedded vision systems design and manufacturing, is exhibiting their latest embedded vision systems based on the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin™ developer kit at Embedded Vision Summit 2022 in Santa Clara, California.
The NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin developer kit delivers 275 trillion operations per second (TOPS), packing over 8x the processing power of its predecessor, Jetson AGX Xavier. Jetson AGX Orin enables developers to build and deploy the largest, most complex models needed to solve edge AI and robotics challenges in 3D perception, multisensor fusion and other areas. Offering server-class performance for edge AI, new Jetson AGX Orin production modules will be available in July, while Orin NX modules are coming in September.
As an Elite member in the NVIDIA Partner Network, Leopard Imaging works closely with NVIDIA to develop embedded vision systems to address increasing demand in robotics, edge AI, industrial machine vision, and autonomous machines applications. This joint effort enables Leopard Imaging to offer hardware and software development and comprehensive design and manufacturing services for its clients.
Leopard Imaging is displaying several embedded vision system demos running on the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform. One of the demos will be a 4K ultra-high-definition camera capable of supporting high dynamic range video at 30 frames per second for applications like gesture recognition. Leveraging the new Jetson AGX Orin, Leopard Imaging will demonstrate a complete advanced AI 4K embedded system for demanding edge AI and autonomous applications.
Leopard Imaging is also showing its 3D Depth stereo Hawk Camera, which offers a wide horizontal field of view of 120 degrees and integrates two onsemi AR0234CS 120 frame per second global shutter color image sensors with an active-pixel array of 1920(H) x 1200(V). The 3D camera also couples with a 6-axis IMU for highly accurate (sub-microsecond) timestamping of the camera frames relative to the IMU which is needed for high-precision robotics perception.
In addition to stereoscopic 3D cameras, Leopard Imaging is also showing the latest ToF (Time of Flight)-based depth camera launched in March this year. The Leopard Imaging ToF camera is optimized to provide high accuracy depth perception. Using the NVIDIA Jetson platform, the Leopard Imaging ToF camera operates without contrast, edges, and angles. It is also designed to support high speed movements and near real-time operation.
Leopard Imaging is at the 2022 Embedded Vision Summit May 17-18 in Santa Clara Convention Center to meet customers and partners and exhibit the imaging solutions. Please visit us at Booth 709.
About Leopard Imaging Inc.
Leopard Imaging is a global leader that provides high definition (HD) embedded cameras and AI-based camera solutions—focusing on core technologies that improve image processing in autonomous vehicles, drones, IoT, robotics, and healthcare devices. As a NVIDIA Elite Partner and a member of the AWS Partner Network, Leopard Imaging also works closely with Sony, ON Semiconductor OMNIVISION, and established sensor companies in producing advanced camera solutions for global customers. With Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) services, Leopard Imaging provides camera solutions for Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook, ZOOX, Cruise, Boston Dynamics, and many other established organizations. More information at https://www.leopardimaging.com.
Press Contact
Cathy Zhao
marketing@leopardimaging.com
+1 408-263-0988
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SOURCE Leopard Imaging Inc.
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https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/17/leopard-imaging-showcase-2d3d-solutions-based-nvidia-jetson-agx-orin-embedded-vision-summit/
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LYSAKER, Norway, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aker Solutions ASA ("Aker Solutions"), Schlumberger and Subsea 7 have entered into agreements to form a Joint Venture ("JV") to deliver a step change in subsea production economics by helping customers unlock reserves, reduce time to first oil and lower development costs while simultaneously delivering on their decarbonization objectives.
Aker Solutions and Schlumberger will contribute their subsea businesses into the JV which following the transactions will be owned by Schlumberger (70%), Aker Solutions (20%) and Subsea 7 (10%).
This combination brings together deep reservoir domain and engineering design expertise, an extensive field-proven subsea production and processing technology portfolio, world-class manufacturing scale and capabilities, and a comprehensive suite of life-of-field solutions to customers all over the world.
The transactions are interdependent and subject to regulatory approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions, and are expected to close during the second half 2023.
The transaction structure and terms - Aker Solutions will receive USD 700 million in consideration for the sale of a 20% ownership in the JV and retain a 20% ownership in the JV as follows:
- USD 306.5 million in proceeds from Schlumberger which will be settled in the form of shares in Schlumberger. The shares will be settled based on the volume weighted average price for the ten trading days ending on the fifth trading day preceding closing of the transaction and is subject to a lock-up period of minimum 180 days
- USD 306.5 million in proceeds from 10% divestment to Subsea 7 which will be settled in cash. USD 153 million of these will be settled at closing and the remaining USD 153.5 million will be settled, with interest, at the latest on June 30, 2024
- USD 87.5 million in proceeds from a vendor note from the JV to be paid, with interest, to Aker Solutions with minimum 50% one year from closing and the remainder within two years from closing
- Subsea Integration Alliance, currently an unincorporated alliance between Schlumberger and Subsea 7, will continue between the JV and Subsea 7. The alliance will be extended by 10 years from the closing date of the transaction
- The Board of directors of the JV will consist of three representatives from Schlumberger, two from Aker Solutions and one from Subsea 7
- The combined business will have approximately 9,000 highly skilled employees globally. Estimated synergy potential is more than USD 100 million per annum in the medium term, and the JV will have an attractive dividend policy
Each party will operate their businesses independently and in the normal course until closing. Based on a scenario where closing takes place in the fourth quarter of 2023, Aker Solutions will in addition to the value of the transactions retain an estimated USD 300 million of cash generation from its subsea business, for the seven quarters from second quarter of 2022 until end 2023.
"This joint venture will bring together world-class businesses that are uniquely positioned to provide subsea technologies to help our customers improve recovery and reduce overall subsea development costs," said Schlumberger Chief Executive Officer Olivier Le Peuch. "Customers will benefit from enhanced services that leverage digital and technology innovation to drive improved performance while increasing energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions."
"By combining our strong and complementary competence and technologies, this compelling combination will deliver an industry step change that will benefit our customers, employees and significantly increase shareholder value. The offshore market activity is increasing, and this joint venture will drive enhanced offerings both in terms of subsea production economics and low-carbon solutions," said Kjetel Digre, Chief Executive Officer of Aker Solutions.
Subsea Integration Alliance, a nonincorporated alliance between Schlumberger and Subsea 7, will be merged into the new entity with an extended renewal period of 10 years from closing of the transaction. "We are excited to build on our highly successful alliance with Schlumberger and partnership with Aker Solutions. This new joint venture is a critical step as we collaborate on the integrated subsea projects that drive maximum value for our customers," commented John Evans, Subsea 7 Chief Executive Officer.
Following the transactions, Aker Solutions will be better placed to deliver on its strategy to accelerate its transformation to meet global energy needs both within oil and gas and renewables. Enabled by Cognite's data platform and Aize's software applications, Aker Solutions will continue to grow as a digitally empowered engineering and project execution company servicing the energy market.
Aker Solutions continues to expect 2022 revenues at around NOK 38 billion, of which Subsea is expected at around NOK 13 billion. Following the transactions Aker Solutions will hold 20% ownership in the subsea JV and a large and significant business comprising the EMM- and Renewables & Field Development segments. This business alone is expected to deliver revenues of around NOK 25 billion in 2022.
Aker Solutions expects to recognize a gain of around USD 1 billion following the transactions, at closing.
Media Contacts:
Torbjorn Andersen, Vice President of External Communications, Aker Solutions
Tel: +47 928 85 542
torbjorn.andersen@akersolutions.com
Josh Byerly - Vice President of Communications, Schlumberger
Moira Duff - Director of External Communication, Schlumberger
Tel: +1 (713) 375-3407
media@slb.com
Julie Taylor, Head of Group Communications, Subsea 7
Tel +44 1224 526270
julie.taylor@subsea7.com
Investor Contacts:
Fredrik Berge - Vice President of Investor Relations, Aker Solutions
Tel: +47 450 32 090
fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com
Ndubuisi Maduemezia - Vice President of Investor Relations, Schlumberger
Joy V. Domingo - Director of Investor Relations, Schlumberger
Tel: +1 (713) 375-3535
investor-relations@slb.com
Katherine Tonks - Investor Relations Director, Subsea 7
Tel: +44 20 8210 5568
katherine.tonks@subsea7.com
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
View original content:
SOURCE Aker Solutions ASA
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https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/aker-solutions-schlumberger-subsea-7-create-joint-venture/
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jury orders Infowars’ Alex Jones to pay Sandy Hook parents more than $4 million for calling 2012 massacre a hoax.
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HAVANA (AP) — The young people come and go on their electric motorcycles at this highway outside Cuba’s capital where they perform stunts and talk about their two-wheelers, which would be largely silent if it weren’t for the music blasting from speakers.
Cuba has been flooded in recent years with “motorinas,” as the electric scooters are called on the island, which have been promoted by the government as efficient alternatives amid extreme gas and diesel shortages, and as a solution to the country’s transportation problems.
Authorities permitted their importation last decade – Cubans cannot import motorcycles with gasoline or diesel engines – and since then about 300,000 of them have circulated on the island, said Col. Mario Ríos Labrada, head of vehicle registry at the National Transit Directorate. In comparison there are an estimated 500,000 cars.
The motorcycles can cost between $2,000 and $5,000. Many originate in China and are imported to Cuba through Panama. Cuban officials say a locally made electric motorcycle called the “Minerva” is being produced at an old bicycle manufacturing warehouse in Villa Clara.
“There is an ‘outbreak’ of electric motorcycles, everyone likes them,” said Ernesto José Salazar, 20, who works in a paint shop. “We got to meet up with 200 motorcycles, honking and listening to music.”
Young riders organize through social networks and spend hours discussing the benefits of a battery or where to buy tires or find the best workshop.
“Fuel is a lost cause, you have to look for it and queue up, right now having an electric motorcycle here is life itself,” said Alejandro Vasallo, 23.
Cuban drivers face shortages of fuel, especially diesel, which is also used to power the electricity generators that feed the nation’s power grid, which collapsed this summer. Oil shortages have been caused by difficulties in Venezuela – an ally and supplier of the island – and U.S. sanctions.
Electric scooter drivers recharge the batteries through normal power sockets and are out of luck when the supply goes down.
Authorities in Cuba promote electric motorcycles as energy efficient and as an alternative to a public transportation system plagued shortages of parts to repair broken down buses and a lack fuel.
“Electricity will always be cheaper than diesel fuel and gasoline, and in addition, electric motors are much more efficient than combustion engines, you can save up to 70% of the cost of fuel,” Ramsés Montes Calzadilla, strategy director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, said in an interview with news website Cubadebate.
Electric motorcycles are changing the urban landscape in Cuba and also creating challenges: the batteries tend to catch fire and their relative silence accompanied by driver inexperience is causing traffic accidents.
The latest figures available from the Fire Department indicated that in the first half of 2020 there were 263 fires from motorcycles with gel or lithium batteries, a notable increase compared to 208 for the entire year 2019.
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https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Electric-motorcycles-flood-Havana-amid-diesel-17313389.php
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Contrast's Secure Code Platform Recognized for Industry Advancement and Support, Customer Testimony, Talent Development, and Inclusion Initiatives
LOS ALTOS, Calif., June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Contrast Security (Contrast), the leader in code security that empowers developers to secure-as-they code, today announced that it has been named to the Enterprise Security Tech Cyber Top 20 List. The exclusive group of top cybersecurity companies are determined by the most value to the market based on their technical innovation, analyst recognition, customer testimony, diversity and inclusion initiatives, talent development initiatives, and that give back to the cyber community.
"It is an honor to be recognized in 2022 Enterprise Security Tech's Cyber Top 20 List," said Steve Wilson, Chief Product Officer at Contrast Security. "With the speed and advancement of modern cyberattacks, organizations must be able to analyze their code in real-time with accurate scan results to save time chasing fixes and better prioritize which libraries are invoked at runtime. Gaining this ability enables DevSecOps teams to innovate faster, while accelerating digital transformation initiatives."
The Contrast Secure Code Platform is the only platform on the market that embeds intelligent agents directly into the code to enable developers to detect vulnerabilities during and post-production. The platform is recognized for its ability to leverage a new unified DevSecOps approach that delivers accurate, continuous results within the integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline and developer tools.
The Contrast Secure Code Platform also accelerates DevOps by removing security bottlenecks from application development. This includes delivering scan times 10x faster than the industry average and fixing code defects 45x faster. Contrast also reduces the noise of false positive alerts with 200% more accuracy, and helps scale security across all applications and throughout their lifespan without the need for specialized training and staff. It also provides runtime observability of application code in production to protect both known and unknown vulnerabilities from being exploited.
"The cybersecurity industry is going through an evolution right now," said Jack Campbell, Editor, Enterprise Security Tech. "The threat landscape is growing at a faster pace than organizations can keep up with – so companies need innovative tools and services that leverage automation and simplification to combat threats at scale. We're honored to be able to recognize these leaders for the value that they are bringing to the market and their contributions to the fight against cyber threats."
For more information about the Contrast Secure Code Platform, please visit this page.
Enterprise Security Tech is a specialized cyber media company with a global presence. The Enterprise Security Tech blog is a cybersecurity blog written for CISOs, CIOs, and security-minded CEOs that brings together critical news, expert insights, and product information to help security leaders make informed business decisions. Enterprise Security Tech is also home to The Cyber Jack Podcast, which brings listeners the latest cybersecurity insights via security experts from around the industry. For more information about Enterprise Security Tech, visit our website.
Contrast Security secures the code that global business relies on. It is the industry's most modern and comprehensive Code Security Platform, removing security roadblock inefficiencies and empowering enterprise developers to write and release secure application code faster. Embedding code analysis and attack prevention directly into software with instrumentation, the Contrast platform automatically detects vulnerabilities while developers write code, eliminates false positives, and provides context-specific how-to-fix guidance for easy and fast vulnerability remediation. Doing so enables application and development teams to collaborate more effectively and to innovate faster while accelerating digital transformation initiatives. This is why a growing number of the world's largest private and public sector organizations rely on Contrast to secure their applications in development and extend protection to cloud and on-premise applications in production.
Media Contact:
Laura Asendio
Public Relations Manager
Contrast Security
pr@contrastsecurity.com
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https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/22/contrast-security-named-enterprise-security-tech-cyber-top-20-list/
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Talk about a storybook ending.
Author Jamil Jan Kochai searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. And on Saturday night, in one of those "life is better than fiction" twists, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.
"I pretty much learned how to read and write in English because of her, and if it wasn't for Mrs. Lung, I don't know what would have happened to me," Kochai, who still finds it difficult to call his former teacher by her first name, told NPR.
"I feel like everything that I've done up to this point — all the success that I've had, the fact that I'm a novelist today — it all started with Mrs. Lung all the way back in 1999, when I was 7 years old," he added.
Kochai is the author of 99 Nights in Logar, a finalist for the Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. He is currently promoting his second book, The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories. His work has been published and praised in many of the nation's most esteemed publications. But for much of his early life, he could hardly speak English.
The writer was born in a refugee camp for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, Kochai said, he was at a total loss.
As a result, he said, "I associated school and learning with punishment and with exclusion."
He fell further behind during the summer of 1999, when the family spent several months in Afghanistan.
"I fell in love with my parents' home village in Logar, but pretty much everything that I learned in first grade, I ended up forgetting by the time the summer was over," Kochai explained.
The magic of Mrs. Lung — and all the devoted teachers out there
Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School, both academically and socially.
"I could see he was sharp as a tack, but it was hard for him," Lung told NPR.
"Not only did he have to deal with forgetting all the English that he knew, but he had to deal with the kids who couldn't understand him."
The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. By the end of the school year, Kochai said, he was winning reading-comprehension competitions.
Thinking back on the experience, Lung said it's not an especially unique situation.
"There are many thousands of teachers doing the same thing all over, and they're doing it for the love of it. Not for any kind of kudos but because we have a passion for it," she said.
Lung added: "It's just incredible to see their literacy grow by leaps and bounds. To see when they're able to communicate with their little friends, which I think is a big part of learning English or any other language."
The problem with not being on a first-name basis with your elementary school teachers
Lung and Kochai lost touch at the end of their year together. Kochai's father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, albeit with a voracious new love of reading and writing. By the time he reached high school, Kochai's parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.
"Part of it was that I didn't know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn't find any records of her," he said, laughing.
But Kochai kept trying through college and afterward. Still, he came up empty.
Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung's neurosurgeon happened to read it, and during her next visit, the physician asked the now-retired educator, "Did you ever teach at Alyce Norman Elementary School?"
It was Lung's husband who ultimately found Kochai. "He found me on Facebook and reached out to me out of the blue," Kochai said.
They made plans for a phone call that same night.
"I finally got the chance after all these years to express to her how much I still thought of her and how much she meant to me," Kochai said, adding that he also managed to get both of his parents on the call. "She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet and kind and warm as ever. And we were all tearing up. It was a really emotional, lovely night," he said.
It was the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and they promised to meet in person as soon as things returned to normal. But as life does, Kochai said, one thing after another seemed to get in the way, and the reunion never materialized.
Reunited and it feels so good
"Again, it was my husband who had the idea, to go to the reading on Saturday," Lung said.
Lung's husband had seen a Facebook post about Kochai's new book and suggested they make the drive to a reading in Davis, California.
"I had no idea they were going to be there," Kochai said, sounding absolutely delighted.
"I don't know how I didn't see her before, but Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. I mean, it had been 20 to 22 years since the last time I'd seen her," he reasoned.
They hugged and he gushed, and she asked him to sign her copy of his first novel.
"And I got to leave a little note for her explaining how much she meant to me. And it was a really lovely evening," Kochai added.
They exchanged numbers again, and now they've made a new plan. "We're going to have a big family dinner next week!" Kochai said.
In the meantime, Lung has some homework: "I am part of the way through his first book and I just got his second book at the reading, so I'll be reading that when I'm finished."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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https://www.wdiy.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-17/after-decades-author-jamil-jan-kochai-reunites-with-the-teacher-who-changed-his-life
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Flogistix to open El Reno Campus
OKLAHOMA CITY, May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mims Talton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Flogistix, is pleased to announce the expansion of the company's manufacturing capabilities with a new facility located in El Reno, Oklahoma. With this addition, Flogistix will have 259,000 square feet of manufacturing space for vapor recovery units (VRU) and other compression technologies and will scale up to a facility workforce of more than 150 people.
"With this new facility, Flogistix will be able to meet the high demand for our products," said Talton. "Our VRUs and data-driven technology are crucial in helping the oil and gas industry reduce methane emissions, increase revenue, and stay compliant with increasing government regulations."
The addition of the El Reno campus is in direct response to the rising demand for Flogistix's vapor recovery units and a strong commitment to meeting customer needs. It also signals confidence in the oil and gas industry and the El Reno community. The new facility is slated to open in July with an open house scheduled for August 4.
Vapor recovery technology reduces the need to vent and flare because the emissions that would have been burned or released are captured and sold. Flogistix provides atmospheric solutions that are an effective tool for decarbonization and crucial to providing reliable and affordable energy to the world.
"We are fortunate to have a company like Flogistix expanding into our community providing good quality jobs to our citizens," said Mayor Matt White. "The city of El Reno is happy to be partnering with Flogistix on this endeavor and knows the resources available including our outstanding CV Tech will provide support and opportunities to this project."
"As a company headquartered in Oklahoma, we are dedicated to this state," Talton said. "We are proud to invest in El Reno and its people, and we are committed to a long-term presence in the community."
Real Estate specialist Travis Mason of Cushman Wakefield and landlord OKC West Industrial Park helped finalize the deal.
A leader in production optimization and atmospheric solutions, Flogistix specializes in well-head compression, vapor recovery applications, and methane detection. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Flogistix operates in nearly every major U.S. shale play and basin and provides service through 14 regional field offices and warehouses located in 7 states. For more information, please visit www.flogistix.com.
Media contact: Kristin Hincke, 14052060167, khincke@flogistix.com
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https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/18/flogistix-expands-manufacturing-capabilities/
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Sales of Livly's innovative multifamily software hit an all-time high of 22,513 apartment units in July 2022, a 70% increase over the previous month.
CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Livly, the nation's leading enterprise-grade resident experience provider, reported record-breaking sales in July 2022 of 22,513 apartment units nationwide, a 70% increase compared with June 2022's previous all-time high record of over 13,000 units. The innovative proptech company has continued to build momentum in the multifamily market every month in 2022 and its growth is notably driven by its advancement of new apartment app features, services, and resident events that expand the breadth of the Livly Operating System: "LivlyOS".
"Property managers and residents are the foundation of the multifamily industry, and the impressive amount of growth we saw in July goes to show that more and more apartment communities want to use simple, modern technology," said Alex Samoylovich, the Co-CEO and Founder of Livly. "Livly's focus is to set up our property managers for success, especially against rising resident expectations. That's why we provide them with tools, services, and functionality to confidently grow their communities and produce stellar event experiences for their residents. The results from this year thus far propel us forward to keep making apartment living better for everyone."
Livly's best-in-class, unified operating system digitizes property operations for multifamily communities across 137 U.S. cities, including offering an array of AI-powered services like the elegant Livly Resident Mobile App, the online Livly Property Hub, and resident events. By offering modern, simple, and fully-integrated solutions, combined with best-in-class customer service, Livly has created a "one-stop-shop" offering for Property Managers who are looking for a cost-effective way to elevate resident experiences and increase revenue.
Livly's July expansion into over 22K apartment homes was spread across 14 U.S. states and 54 cities. The company's growth strategy has led the company to 38 states this year alone.
"Livly has become the preferred PMS solution by Property Managers," stated Brian Duggan, Co-CEO of Livly. "We don't take that lightly and will continue to evolve and innovate to best serve the needs of multifamily professionals and their residents."
About Livly, Inc.
Livly, Inc. is revolutionizing apartment living and powering communities across the globe. Founded in Chicago in 2017, Livly has built the first unified enterprise-grade operating system tailored specifically for residential properties. The AI-powered Livly operating system serves as the remote control for apartment living, connecting residents, guests, staff, and vendors with state-of-the-art software, access controls, services, and robust data analytics. For more information about Livly, please visit www.livly.io.
Radhika Sen
Company: Livly
Contact: radhika@livly.io
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https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/livly-hits-record-breaking-sales-july-2022/
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Biden COVID diagnosis: MSNBC, CNN, ABC and more float new mask restrictions, tout boosters
Dr. Jonathan Reiner on CNN called for masking in public venues and when meeting people you don't know
MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC are reacting to President Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis with a multitude of different perspectives, with some calling for new masking restrictions and others touting coronavirus booster shots.
On Thursday the White House revealed that President Biden had tested positive for the virus, but noted he was experiencing "very mild symptoms," including a dry cough, runny nose and lethargy. Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden have both tested negative.
"This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a written statement. "He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid. Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence."
Jean-Pierre also said that Biden will remain isolated until he tests negative, but stated the White House would be providing daily updates on the president’s status.
JEN PSAKI SAYS WHITE HOUSE NEEDS TO BE 'AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE' AND MUST SHOW BIDEN 'IS WORKING'
Dr. Alok Patel, a medical contributor for ABC News, reacted to the news by emphasizing that vaccination is the "first line of defense," and that Biden is "fortunate" he has been double boosted.
"With how much President Biden gets tested, and the masks, and how cautious they are at the White House, he still tested positive," Patel added.
CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond also said it was "notable" it had taken this long for the president to contract the virus.
Meanwhile, CBS News’ Anne-Marie Green wondered how lax protocols regarding COVID have gotten at the White House considering Biden’s style of being "personable."
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, FIRST LADY TEST NEGATIVE FOR COVID
White House correspondent Jeff Mason, who has covered President Biden since he was vice president under Barack Obama, agreed that Green was correct in her assessment that he is a "touchy-feely" guy.
Mason noted that he was in Cleveland with the president a few weeks back and made note of the fact that Biden had certainly increased his potential exposure, joining in "selfie" lines, hugging and kissing other people he had met.
Amid the dismal news, MSNBC and NBC medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta asserted that Biden’s risk of progressing towards severe illness was very low, as many consider him to be a "super ager." When asked to clarify what a "super ager" was, Dr. Gupta explained that it was a reference to Biden’s ability to engage in exercise, such as biking, at the age of 79.
Yet, despite the optimistic news about the president, several notable figures on television Thursday urged a return to stricter mitigation strategies across the country, such as masking, in light of Biden’s diagnosis.
"Public venues should require masks," Dr. Jonathan Reiner told CNN. "Anytime you’re meeting with people that you don’t know, or you don’t know have been tested—people should be wearing masks."
Dr. Reiner then reiterated his position, and said Americans should be pushing for a "more aggressive stance" against the coronavirus and bring back masking across the U.S.
Dr. Kavita Patel, a primary care physician who joined NBC News on Thursday, also echoed Reiner’s statement, claiming that while testing helps, masking can be "critical."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
While she did not float new mask requirements in the U.S., she said that the White House itself should return to stricter masking protocols. She added that Biden’s decision to get a second booster may have "made all the difference" in his battle with COVID.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-covid-diagnosis-msnbc-cnn-abc-float-new-mask-restrictions-tout-boosters
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday will call on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months — a move meant to ease financial pressures at the pump that also reveals the political toxicity of high gas prices in an election year.
The Democratic president will also call on states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide similar relief, the White House said.
At issue is the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas and the 24.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on diesel fuel. If the gas savings were fully passed along to consumers, people would save roughly 3.6% at the pump when prices are averaging about $5 a gallon nationwide.
But many economists and lawmakers from both parties view the idea of a gas tax holiday with skepticism.
Barack Obama, during the 2008 presidential campaign, called the idea a “gimmick” that allowed politicians to “say that they did something.” He also warned that oil companies could offset the tax relief by increasing their prices.
Biden energy adviser Amos Hochstein pushed back on Wednesday, saying consumers could save about 50 cents per gallon if Congress and the states heed the president’s call.
“That’s not a gimmick,” Hochstein, senior adviser for global energy security at the State Department, said on CNN. “That’s a little bit of breathing room for the American people as we get into the summer driving season.”
It was not immediately clear if the White House has the votes in Congress to suspend the federal tax.
High gas prices pose a fundamental threat to Biden’s electoral and policy ambitions. They’ve caused confidence in the economy to slump to lows that bode poorly for defending Democratic control of the House and the Senate in November.
Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including the release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump, a risk that carries over to the idea of a gas tax holiday.
Biden has acknowledged how gas prices have been a drain on public enthusiasm when he is trying to convince people that the U.S. can still pivot to a clean-energy future. In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Biden described a country already nursing some psychological scars from the coronavirus pandemic that is now worried about how to afford gas, food and other essentials.
“If you notice, until gas prices started going up,” Biden said, “things were much more, they were much more optimistic.”
The president can do remarkably little to fix prices that are set by global markets, profit-driven companies, consumer demand and aftershocks from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the embargoes that followed. The underlying problem is a shortage of oil and refineries that produce gas, a challenge a tax holiday cannot necessarily fix.
Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, estimated that the majority of the 8.6% inflation seen over the past 12 months in the U.S. comes from higher commodity prices due to Russia’s invasion and continued disruptions from the coronavirus.
“In the immediate near term, it is critical to stem the increase in oil prices,” Zandi said last week, suggesting that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and a nuclear deal with Iran could help to boost supplies and lower prices. Republican lawmakers have tried to shift more blame to Biden, saying he created a hostile environment for domestic oil producers, causing their output to stay below pre-pandemic levels.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell mocked the idea of a gas tax holiday in a February floor speech. “They’ve spent an entire year waging a holy war on affordable American energy, and now they want to use a pile of taxpayers’ money to hide the consequences,” he said.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has previously expressed doubts about the value of suspending the federal gas tax.
Administration officials said the $10 billion cost of the gas tax holiday would be paid for and the Highway Trust Fund kept whole, even though the gas taxes make up a substantial source of revenue for the fund. The officials did not specify any new revenue sources.
The president has also called on energy companies to accept lower profit margins to increase oil production and refining capacity for gasoline.
This has increased tensions with oil producers: Biden has judged the companies to be making “more money than God.” That kicked off a chain of events in which the head of Chevron, Michael Wirth, sent a letter to the White House saying that the administration “has largely sought to criticize, and at times vilify, our industry.”
Asked about the letter, Biden said of Wirth: “He’s mildly sensitive. I didn’t know they’d get their feelings hurt that quickly.”
Energy companies are scheduled to meet Thursday with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to discuss ways to increase supply.
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https://www.cbs42.com/news/politics/ap-politics/biden-to-call-for-3-month-suspension-of-gas-and-diesel-taxes/
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BOGALUSA, La. (WGNO) — A Washington Parish crash that injured five people also claimed the life of a Mandeville man, Saturday night. The Louisiana State Police say they responded just after 10:45 to the two-vehicle accident that happened on LA Hwy 21 near Little Southern Village Road.
Investigations revealed that 35-year-old Kevin Christensen was driving in the wrong direction in the southbound lane of the highway in a Toyota Tundra at the same time as Jeep Grand Cherokee carrying five people. For reasons under investigation Christensen crashed head-on with the Jeep, causing it to flip over.
Troopers say Christensen was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, he suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the jeep was wearing a seatbelt but sustained serious injuries, the other four suffered minor or moderate injuries.
They were all taken to the hospital for treatment but their conditions are not known. Toxicology samples were taken from both drivers as the crash remains under investigation.
“Never drive impaired, fatigued, or distracted, follow all traffic laws and always ensure every occupant is properly restrained. While not all crashes are survivable, taking simple precautions such as these can often mean the difference between life and death,” Louisiana State Police Troop L.
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https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/wrong-way-driver-causes-fatal-crash-in-washington-parish-five-others-injured/
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TV's biggest blockbusters are about to square off. Over the next few weeks, new shows from Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings Marvel and Star Wars will all be streaming. So which will you watch?
Marvel's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is streaming now on Disney Plus. Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon just started on HBO. Lord of the Rings reimagining The Rings of Power debuts next Thursday on Amazon Prime Video. And as these huge shows race to their epic finales, Stars Wars spy series Andor will debut Sept. 21 on Disney Plus.
Obviously if you're a fantasy fan you're pretty spoiled, and you'll probably check out some, if not all. But which one sets your pulse racing, if you had to choose? CNET staff reveal which they're looking forward to…
Rogue One to watch
Obviously I'm going to watch all of them, even if it wasn't my job. But if you had to put a lightsaber to my head, I'd say… Andor. I mean, I liked the Lord of the Rings movies and I'm certainly curious what the most expensive TV show ever made will look like, but I already feel like I've spent enough of my life watching dudes with silly beards hike across Middle-earth.
Similarly, I feel like I'm done with Game of Thrones. That's not because I hated the final season, like many former fans -- I wasn't even watching it by that point. No, I just got sick of the headlines everywhere.
As for She-Hulk, the first half of the season left me distinctly underwhelmed, especially after the joy of Ms. Marvel. But a Star Wars spy series bringing back the gritty tone of Rogue One, a movie that's grown on me as one of the best expansions of the Star Wars galaxy? Yeah, you got me.
—Richard Trenholm
She-Hulk, Princess of Awesome
I've been a lifelong fan of Lord of the Rings in a way that I haven't been with Game of Thrones. I read the trilogy twice, The Hobbit a few more times, and even attempted the lore-rich but pretty boring Silmarillion. I even played the Middle-earth role-playing game, and I naturally loved the (first three) movies. But I am not at all excited about The Rings of Power. The biggest disappointment to me was finding that it's based on the flimsiest of source materials, and yet Amazon has spent squillions of dollars on it anyway. I'm keeping expectations low. Low, like my enthusiasm.
The others are a mixed bag, Andor had better be good after the drudgery of Boba Fett. Game of Thrones…whatever at least has the involvement of the creator, and there's a whole book to source from! But it's She-Hulk which I will be watching as soon as I finish writing this -- early reviews have been pretty good, and the involvement of Mark Ruffalo is a double treat.
—Ty Pendlebury
Rings of Power: (B)ring It On
Unlike others, my excitement is mainly for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Basing it on scant source material means room for experimentation, imagination and growth rather than having fans pick apart exactly who should have been rescuing Frodo and bringing him to Rivendell, and what book Shelob attacks Frodo in, and so on. There's still plenty of material in the appendices of LOTR to use for the series -- I'm sure fans will still manage to find something to argue about the authenticity of -- and knowing the first season was filmed in New Zealand is reassuring.
I'm super excited for the diverse cast, something that the (still amazing) LOTR trilogy and the (less amazing) Hobbit trilogy were sorely lacking. It will also be fun to delve deeper into the worlds of dwarves and elves this time, as well as hobbits and men.
—Corinne Reichert
It's gotta be House of the Dragon
I believe the hype. I'm ready for a new HBO show to be as good as pre-tainted Game of Thrones. I'm ready for back-stabbing, scheming and general smirking across throne rooms. Shock deaths, doomed figures and color-coded dragons are also welcome. Prestige TV for me, please!
—Jennifer Bisset
Refuse to choose, I'm watching all of them
I love my TV babies, and will not be choosing between the four at this time, thanks.
Rings of Power is easily the one I am the most excited for. The series has already proven itself to be insanely pretty and thoroughly detailed, with a pair of showrunners who seem to fully grasp the stakes associated with making something for fans with such high expectations.
Andor looks gritty and compelling from the trailers, and I love a small-stakes Star Wars story without lightsabers coming in to save the day. This show will have me on the edge of my seat, I can feel it.
She-Hulk would be higher up on my list if the uncanny valley wasn't so vast in the trailers. Tatiana Maslany is an incredible actor and perfect for the role, and it's a shame Marvel appears to have farmed her visuals out to freshman-year graphics students.
I am of the many who did not love the ending of Game of Thrones, and who thinks Matt Smith looks absurd in his peroxide blonde Targaryen wig, but I'm still excited for House of the Dragon. At a minimum, it'll have great fight scenes and cool dragons. How could I stay away?
—Russell Holly
Imagine dragons instead
As a lifelong lover of all things Tolkien and a full-time hater of Star Wars and the MCU, I am… completely unenthused by all three. Maybe it's just me, but the prospect of delving into a glossy fantasy world just feels like hard work. I was thinking of catching up with that show about the women's baseball team on Amazon Prime instead. I've heard good things about it.
Shortly after I registered my refusal to tune in to Rings of Power, She-Hulk or Andor, my colleague Sean Keane messaged me to remind me that House of the Dragon is also an option. But I think that tells you everything you need to know about whether or not I'll be watching House of the Dragon. Apparently it's Succession with dragons, which sounds excellent – even I can admit that. But what if I just rewatched Succession and imagined them all riding dragons instead? Please somebody get Gerri a dragon next season. She'd be unstoppable.
—Sarah McDermott
A rebel at heart
I will gobble up all four of these shows with relentless enthusiasm, but Andor is the one I'm most excited for. I've been fascinated by the morally questionable Cassian ever since he murdered his ally in Rogue One, so the prospect of diving into his past and seeing how he joined the Rebel Alliance is super exciting.
It looks like the show will feature a delicious helping of the Galactic Empire too; I can't get enough of horrible people in crisp white Imperial uniforms trying to one-up each other while maintaining excellent postures and sneering at everyone around them.
—Sean Keane
Can Amazon pull off a show based on footnotes?
I'm pretty ambivalent about this upcoming slate of shows, which are interesting in their own ways but focused on side characters or, sin of sins, prequel events that are far less exciting than the shows and films they lead up to. And yet, I'm most hyped for Rings of Power, because it's a feat that the show even exists.
I've read the Sillymarilly half a dozen times, and I would love to see its stories in a TV show -- but Amazon can't directly adapt any of Tolkien's lore bible, because the company only licensed the appendices in the back of The Lord of the Rings. You know, those extra chapters you probably never read because the books were exhausting enough? They're filled with character backmatter and select chapters of Middle-earth history, but are by no means comprehensive. Using them as a basis for a show seems like re-creating the plot of Star Wars using half a dozen Wikipedia entries.
The Rings of Power is the most expensive show ever made, and Amazon has placed an enormous bet with source material that's basically a ton of footnotes. I can't wait to watch a sweeping epic that pointedly ignores some of the biggest moments or characters in Middle-earth history because of a licensing agreement. Genuinely hyped to see Amazon make storylines out of hobbit genealogies (Appendix C) and dwarf runes (Appendix E).
—David Lumb
Hulks smash!
Rings and Thrones just seem like expensive DLC for warmed-over original material that we've already wrung too much from. I'm sure they'll be perfectly watchable, but can't imagine them being genre-defining. I like Matt Smith, and I'm literally a lifetime Doctor Who fan, but that white wig looks ridiculous on him.
Marvel/Disney, on the other hand, is batting way above average on both movies and TV series. Why? Because they're not afraid to do small-scale projects, to play around the edges of the familiar and to not treat everything uniformly. For every Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which was just too grim and relentless, there's a Guardians of the Galaxy or Hawkeye that translates the original fun pulpy vibe of the comics.
There's also so much more to draw from -- 50-plus years of continuous comic history, versus Rings, which was basically based on four books, and Star Wars, built around three movies, then another three movies, then another three movies. As a comic-collecting kid, the Hulk was my favorite character, and seeing this Hulk/She-Hulk/Abomination combo is just catnip to me.
It illustrates the larger reason the Marvel movies and TV shows have hit the mark so often. They take a broad half-century-long mythology, far grander in scope than Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings or really anything else, and take it seriously, despite the inherent ridiculousness. For a Gen-Xer who grew up on '80s Marvel, it's like a big part of my childhood (and we Gen-Xers are all about nostalgia) is getting the kind of serious treatment we never in a million years, or a million multiverses, could have imagined when we were collecting the original Secret Wars comic series.
—Dan Ackerman
The power of Tolkien's universe
The amazing thing about Tolkien's Middle-earth is that while we have over a million pages of notes, footnotes, treatises and scribbles on the back of napkins, all of it reads like the collections of a historian, and not a complete universe. Because Tolkien wanted us to believe this could be an ancient history of our world, a lot of the stories are told as whispers of truth, or fragments of ancient tales. That's what makes the Rings of Power so exciting.
Is it based on a couple of appendices in the Lord of the Rings? Yes it is, but it doesn't matter. There is scope, in the thousands of years that those appendices span, to include entire civilizations rising and falling that are never spoken of in the five main books without breaking continuity. It gives a production company and the writers of the show a huge amount of space to build without treading on the toes of those who hate change.
The Rings of Power is ridiculously expensive, it's true, and I would have loved them to have even more source material than they do, but I can't wait to see all of the things we don't know about Middle-earth come to life on screen in such a bright and vivid way. Every photo I've seen and every trailer I've watched has only cemented my desire to binge this show through breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses and beyond.
—James Bricknell
The Ring Leader
As several of my colleagues have said, I'm going to watch all of these. I'm most curious, though, about Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. On a personal level, I was one of those kids who had all the extended editions of the movies and read all the books. I think I'm contractually obligated to consume whatever Lord of the Rings content is put in front of me. Admittedly, it will be fun to return to Middle-earth.
I'm also fascinated by the spectacle this show has the potential to become. The Hollywood Reporter has estimated it's going to be one of the most expensive shows to produce – maybe the most expensive – coming in at more than $1 billion. And as a stipulation of getting the rights to the source material, Prime Video had to commit to five seasons. No matter what happened, this is going to be a journey.
—Erin Carson
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https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/house-of-the-dragon-vs-lord-of-the-rings-vs-she-hulk-vs-star-wars/
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OnlyFans model and accused boyfriend killer Courtney Clenney denied bond in Miami court
MIAMI - The OnlyFans model accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend with a kitchen knife in their luxury Miami high-rise apartment was denied bond after she was returned to Florida, court records show.
Courtney Clenney, 26, appeared in a Miami courtroom on Saturday morning on a second-degree murder charge for the alleged slaying of 27-year-old Christian Obumseli on April 3.
Her attorney, Frank Prieto, argued that there wasn't enough evidence to back a murder charge, and she deserves to be released on bail pending trial, according to WPLG.
"At best it's manslaughter," he told Judge Jacqueline Woodward, who denied the request and sent Clenney back to Miami-Dade jail to await her next court date.
ONLYFANS MODEL COURTNEY CLENNEY WANTS EVIDENCE IN MURDER CASE KEPT SECRET
"Miss Clenney, your attorneys are here, and they’re fighting hard for you, but at this time, I’m not really the judge who should be making these decisions," Woodward said. "It should be a judge who knows a little bit more about your case."
A photo combination showing Courtney Clenney's mugshot from her extradition to Miami following her arrest in Hawaii for the alleged murder of Christian Obumseli. (Miami-Dade Corrections/Hawaii Police Department)
Clenney, who goes by Courtney Tailor online and boasts more than 2 million Instagram followers, wasn't arrested until Aug. 10 in Hawaii, where her attorney said she was seeking treatment for PTSD and substance abuse.
Prieto has argued that his client acted in self-defense after Obumseli attacked her – but prosecutors say the forensic evidence contradicts her claim.
MIAMI ONLYFANS MODEL CAPTURED ON VIDEO BEATING BOYFRIEND SHE LATER KILLED
Clenney allegedly told police that she tossed a kitchen knife at her cryptocurrency-trader boyfriend from a distance of 10 feet, but the medical examiner determined that she was directly in front of him when she plunged the blade into his chest, according to prosecutors.
After the killing, a video of Clenney soaked in blood and wearing a black bra and handcuffs on the couple's balcony went viral.
In announcing Clenney's arrest, Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathie Fernandez Rundle said the couple had a tumultuous two-year romance and released surveillance video of the social media star repeatedly hitting Obumseli in the elevator of their building.
Prosecutors called her the clear "aggressor" in their relationship. The victim's brother, Jeff Obumseli, criticized the delayed arrest and said Clenney was treated differently because she is a wealthy white woman.
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https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/onlyfans-model-and-accused-boyfriend-killer-courtney-clenney-denied-bond-in-miami-court
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BERLIN (AP) — “It’s absolutely crazy to stick yourself to the road with superglue,” admits Lina Schinkoethe.
And yet, the 19-year-old recently landed in jail for doing just that, in protest at what she believes is the German government’s failure to act against climate change.
Schinkoethe is part of a group called Uprising of the Last Generation that claims the world has only a few years left to turn the wheel around and avoid catastrophic levels of global warming.
Like-minded activists elsewhere in Europe have interrupted major sporting events such as the Tour de France and the Formula One Grand Prix in Silverstone in recent weeks, while others glued themselves to the frame of a painting at London’s Royal Academy of Arts Tuesday. But Schinkoethe’s group has mainly targeted ordinary commuters in cities such as Berlin who, on any given day this summer, might find themselves in an hours-long tailback caused by a handful of activists gluing themselves to the asphalt.
Their actions have prompted outrage and threats from inconvenienced motorists. Tabloid media and some politicians have accused them of sowing chaos and harming ordinary folk just trying to go about their business. Some have branded them dangerous radicals.
Schinkoethe says the escalation in tactics is justified.
“If we wanted people to like us then we’d do something else but we’ve tried everything else,” she told The Associated Press. “We’ve asked nicely. We’ve demonstrated calmly.”
She recalls joining the Fridays for Future protests led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg which saw hundreds of thousands of students worldwide skip school and rally for a better world.
“I really hoped something would change, that politicians would react and finally take us and the science of climate change seriously,” she said. “But we’re still heading for a world that’s 3 to 4 degrees Celsius (5.4 to 7.2 Fahrenheit) warmer.”
Such a rise in global temperatures is more than twice the 1.5-C (2.7-F) limit countries agreed to in the 2015 Paris climate accord. While progress has been made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, experts agree the goal is still far out of reach.
Scientists agree that the world has no time to waste in cutting emissions, but have tried to counter ‘doomism’ by arguing that the world isn’t heading for one single cliff edge so much as a long, steep slope with several precipitous drops.
“Each tenth of a degree matters,” said Ricarda Winkelmann, a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research near Berlin.
“If we really start acting now and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, chances are that we can limit some of the most severe climate impacts,” she said.
Such messages are lost on many of those caught up in the blockades.
At two protests witnessed by The AP in June and July, several truckers got out of their cabs to berate the activists. One physically hauled two protesters off the road.
Other drivers, some of whom weren’t affected by the blockade, also hurled abuse at the activists. A few expressed support for the climate cause but questioned the way the protests were conducted.
“They need to find a different way to do this than to block other people,” said one driver on his way to work, who would only give his name as Stefan.
Berlin’s mayor has called the street blockades “crimes,” while the city’s top security official is demanding that prosecutors and courts mete out swift convictions. So far, no cases have gone to trial.
Still, Schinkoethe believes she has no choice but to keep going.
“We need to generate friction, peaceful friction, so that there’s an honest debate and we can act accordingly,” she said.
That sentiment was echoed by Ernst Hoermann, a retired railway engineer and grandfather of eight who has been traveling to Berlin from Bavaria regularly to take part in the protests.
“We basically have to cause a nuisance until it hurts,” he said as a police officer tried to unstick him from the road with the help of cooking oil.
Similar protests have resulted in weeks-long prison sentences in Britain, where the government has sought court injunctions to preemptively stop road blockades by the group Insulate Britain.
Hoermann, 72, said he isn’t afraid of fines or the prospect of prison.
“Not compared to the fear I have for my children,” he said.
Last Generation has recently tried to focus attention on Germany’s plans to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Despite having the most ambitious climate target of any major industrialized nation, Germany’s center-left government is scrambling like other European countries to replace its Russian energy imports and avoid painful fuel shortages in the coming years.
Schinkoethe says the number of people participating in the group’s actions has grown from 30 to 200 in six months, and argues that the blockades follow the tradition of civil disobedience seen during the U.S. civil rights movement and the fight for women’s suffrage.
“What we’re doing is illegal,” she said. “At the same time it’s legitimate.”
Manuel Ostermann, a senior member of one of Germany’s police unions, accused the group of committing crimes while portraying themselves as victims.
“Where the process of radicalization gets going, extremism isn’t far off,” he wrote on Twitter.
Members of Last Generation have tried to counter that, citing U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who earlier this year said that “the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels.”
“I’m going to keep going until the government locks me and the other activists up for their peaceful protests, or gives in to our demands,” said Schinkoethe.
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Follow AP’s coverage of climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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https://www.kron4.com/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/german-climate-activists-aim-to-stir-friction-with-blockades/
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zero of three
Mark Blinch/Getty Pictures
The Philadelphia 76ers have an enviable assortment of expertise, even by NBA elite requirements.
Joel Embiid is a perennial MVP candidate. James Harden is a former MVP. Tyrese Maxey seems on the quick observe to stardom. Tobias Harris ranks favorably among the many finest fourth choices in current reminiscence.
Why, then, could not this core advance past the postseason’s second spherical? As a result of the group’s high expertise did not at all times ship within the playoffs, and the supporting forged could not present sufficient…nicely, assist.
So, regardless of the very fact the Sixers simply posted their second consecutive successful proportion north of .600, this may very well be a busy offseason in Philadelphia. When this entrance workplace goes on the lookout for upgrades this summer season, the next three areas are clear locations to deal with.
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Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures
Any Philly followers clinging to the notion of Harden being the Sixers’ savior ought to in all probability take a gander on the Beard’s current manufacturing. Positive, nobody is sneezing at per-game averages of 22 factors and 10.three assists, however the scoring is down double digits from his peak, and his taking pictures charges have fallen together with it.
“Clearly, I am positive since we obtained him, all people anticipated the Houston James Harden, however that is not who he’s anymore,” Embiid told reporters.
Harden remains to be a very good participant, however his greatness could also be gone for good. That creates an interesting state of affairs to observe with Harden sitting on a $47.4 million participant choice, per Spotrac.
If he opts out, count on to see 1,000,000 suppose items concerning the true worth of present Harden. The reality is, nobody actually is aware of, because it’s exhausting to gauge how a lot of his decline is age-related and the way a lot is due to the hamstring hassle he struggled to shake. Having mentioned that, the Sixers cannot financial institution max-money hopes on the hamstring being each the only real root of his struggles and one thing they’ll repair.
There are whispers he is perhaps open to signing for lower than the max, and Philly wants to show that hope into an precise, non-max contract.
2 of three
Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures
The Sixers regarded gentle on three-and-D wings earlier than this season began.
That downside solely worsened over the course of the marketing campaign. Matisse Thybulle’s extreme offensive limitations rendered him successfully unplayable within the postseason. Then, Danny Inexperienced, the lone three-and-D wing on the roster, tore his ACL and LCL throughout Sport 6 of the Japanese Convention semifinals, which may price the 34-year-old, at minimal, nearly all of subsequent season.
Whereas some groups would possibly want wings who play each ends, it is a necessity in Philadelphia.
The subtraction of Ben Simmons plucked away one of many league’s most versatile defenders, and the Sixers have not crammed that spot. Thybulle’s diminished position, in the meantime, highlighted how little mileage the Sixers would possibly get from a defensive specialist.
three of three
Elsa/Getty Pictures
For a second, Philadelphia’s longstanding want for a reliable backup for Embiid was lastly granted.
Andre Drummond was excellent within the position. He relentlessly attacked the glass, disrupted the opposition’s actions on protection and completed his probabilities across the rim.
Frankly, he may need been too good in that position, because the Brooklyn Nets sought him out within the Harden-Simmons swap. As soon as Drummond was gone, the Sixers have been left spending their non-Embiid minutes discovering how a lot Paul Millsap has left (little or no), how prepared Paul Reed is (who is aware of) and whether or not they may maintain up with Georges Niang at heart (completely not).
Given Embiid’s well being historical past, the Sixers would absolutely wish to preserve his regular-season workload as gentle as potential. They want a reliable understudy to take action.
Learn extra about NBA MLB, NFL
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https://blackchronicle.com/76ers-top-needs-in-2022-nba-offseason-bleacher-report/
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SINGAPORE, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading crypto social trading platform BingX is excited to announce the launch of Futures Grid Trading, after it introduced Spot Grid Copy Trading in March. It is available to all registered users so that traders can earn in a more flexible way this crypto winter.
As its name implies, the Futures Grid Trading combines grid trading and futures trading, which can bring grid profit for users. Grid Trading is a quantitative trading strategy that automates the buying and selling of digital assets at preset intervals around a preset price range to build trading grids.
These trading grids help investors rake in money like a fish net - through executing low-buy and high-sell orders during price volatility, the system ensures profit every time the selling price exceeds the buying price, thus eliminating the need to forecast the market. On top of that, futures grid trading allows traders to use leverage to maximise the profit.
Compared with other platforms, BingX provides users with more flexibility by lowering the minimum investment amount. Traders could try futures grid trading with 20 USDT and see how it arbitrages automatically. They can also preset a stop-loss point to limit the loss on a security position.
"For this quarter, part of BingX's strategic focus is to provide users and traders with a better trading environment and new tools that facilitate profitability. We are also further simplifying the trading process so they can employ new trading tactics that allow them to gain, especially considering the current market situation." - Global Communications & Public Relations Director, Elvisco Carrington
This new feature will be available on both BingX app and desktop. It saves traders keeping tabs on the market all day by making strategic, informed, and rational trading decisions on behalf of them. To encourage traders to make money with intelligent tools, BingX is about to launch a campaign to cover all traders' losses in their first futures grid trading.
Security is always a top priority of BingX. Since the beginning of the second quarter of 2022, the overall crypto market has been on a bearish trend. The bankruptcy filing from Three Arrows Capital triggered a downward spiral that have hurt many crypto investors. In the face of this severe turbulence, BingX stays true to its mission in safeguarding user's assets. Under no circumstances would BingX hedge users' funds in venture investments.
BingX is committed to bringing about more trailblazing, industry-leading features and services to cater for various trading and social needs of users. To optimise investment experience and maximise user's profit, BingX is always on the go.
About BingX
Founded in 2018, BingX.com is a global digital asset, spot, and derivatives trading platform that provides a user-centric and open ecosystem with intuitive social trading features. Created to enrich the entire cryptocurrency industry, BingX is a safe, reliable, and user-friendly venue for users to trade their favourite assets such as SafeLight, Elongate, Whiteheart, & AAVE. It is a digital asset, spot, and derivatives trading platform that provides a user-centric and open ecosystem with intuitive social trading features. First-time traders could do Copy Trade and learn from 3,000+ professional traders on BingX. Now BingX holds four operating licenses from the EU, US, Canada, and Oceania regions. BingX is a safe, reliable, and user-friendly venue for users to trade digital assets.
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https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/bingx-introduces-futures-grid-trading-energise-traders-crypto-winter/
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Angels fire manager Joe Maddon during 12-game losing streak
Maddon had a 130-148 record as manager of the Angels
The Los Angeles Angels have fired manager Joe Maddon as the team is in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, the team announced on Tuesday.
Third-base coach Phil Nevin has been named interim manager.
The Angels got off to a hot start to the season – surging to a 24-13 record – but Los Angeles has now lost 13 of its last 16 games, dropping to 27-29 on the season and sitting 8.5 games back of the first-place Houston Astros.
Maddon was in the third and final year of his contract with the Angels, and was hoping to lead Los Angeles to its first playoff appearance since the 2014 season. Maddon leaves the Angels with a record of 130-148.
PHILLIES FIRE MANAGER JOE GIRARDI AFTER ROUGH START TO SEASON
The Angels have the eighth-highest payroll in MLB, sitting at over $190 million for the season.
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Maddon is the second Major League manager to lose his job in the past week, with the Philadelphia Phillies firing manager Joe Girardi on Friday.
PHILLIES' ALEC BOHM BLOODIES AFTER ACCIDENTALLY HITTING HIMSELF IN THE FACE WITH BAT IN FRUSTRATION
The Phillies were also off to a slow start to the season, losing seven of their last nine games before making the decision to move on from Girardi.
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"It has been a frustrating season for us up until this point, as we feel that our club has not played up to its capabilities," Phillies president Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "While all of us share the responsibility for our shortcomings, I felt that a change was needed and that a new voice in the clubhouse would give us the best chance to turn things around."
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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/angels-fire-manager-joe-maddon-during-losing-streak
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DALLAS (KDAF) — Fall is coming and that means only one thing: Pumpkin Spice, of course!
Love it or hate it, there’s no doubting that this fall flavoring is synonymous with the season. From pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin cream cold brews to everything in between; America loves pumpkin seasoning.
Here’s a new idea for ya: pumpkin spice flavored Goldfish crackers? Yep, we have gotten to that point. Thanks to a partnership with Dunkin’ and Goldfish, people will be able to purchase Goldfish Dunkin’ Pumpkin Spice Grahams.
Officials say this limited edition snack food features notes of pumpkin, donut glaze, and warm spices; including cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
“Limited-edition Goldfish® Dunkin’TM Pumpkin Spice Grahams embody everything we love about this special time, from the warm pumpkin spices you find in our delicious latte or notes of our classic donut glaze in our baked goods. We’re confident this will be a real treat for all the pumpkin spice aficionados out there,” Brian Gilbert, vice president of retail business development at Dunkin’, said in a news release.
Here’s when you can get yours
This snack food will be available to shoppers beginning Sept. 1 for $3.39 per 6.6 oz bag. If you’re on TikTok, you mail be able to get the Pumpkin Spice Grahams early. Here’s how.
Beginning on Aug. 18 at 11 a.m., all you have to do is go to the GoldfishSmiles TikTok account. In their bio, there will be a link where you can have a chance to purchase the Pumpkin Spice Grahams early while supplies last.
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https://cw33.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/dunkin-pumpkin-spice-goldfish-yes-theyre-real-but-for-a-limited-time-only/
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OAKVILLE, ON, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CEM Engineering and Sacré-Davey Engineering have been selected by Atura Power as Owner's Engineering Representative for the design, permitting, and equipment selection of the Niagara Hydrogen Centre which will produce 20MW of Green Hydrogen in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This state-of-the-art facility will benefit from our growing team's expertise in advanced power systems, hydrogen production, hydrogen infrastructure, and end-use applications. For more information, see the original June 27th announcement from Atura:
Oakville, Ont., June 27, 2022 - Atura Power selected St. Catharines, Ont. based CEM Engineering and Sacré-Davey Engineering of North Vancouver, B.C. (CEM/Sacre-Davey joint venture) to advance the engineering of Atura Power's first green 20-megawatt (MW) hydrogen production facility - the Niagara Hydrogen Centre.
CEM/Sacré-Davey is the owner's engineer and has the responsibility to complete the detailed design and advance the project permitting while also supporting Atura Power in the technical selection of key project equipment and technology.
This project will be the largest green hydrogen production facility in Ontario, providing industrial consumers with low-carbon hydrogen for immediate consumption, including Atura Power's owned and operated combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants. The development of this 20 MW hydrogen production facility will leverage the experience of CEM and Sacré-Davey and will support the development of the Ontario hydrogen economy.
The design, technology selection, and procurement activities that will support a final investment decision for the facility will be completed by late summer 2022, subject to federal funding, with a target completion date of early 2024 for the facility.
Atura Power is implementing a low-cost, low-carbon hydrogen program that will help reduce greenhouse gases, while supporting the development and adoption of a key clean-energy source on a path to an economy wide net-zero emissions future. As an enabler of clean energy, Atura Power is positioned to help build the hydrogen economy in Ontario. Low-carbon hydrogen will be an important tool in the fight against climate change. Atura Power, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), supports the net-zero goals outlined in OPG's Climate Change Plan.
Green and low-carbon hydrogen will reduce or offset emissions in a variety of applications, including:
- as a low-carbon fuel substitute for feedstock in high-emitting industrial processes
- blending hydrogen with natural gas to reduce its carbon impact, and
- powering fuel cells in vehicles which could help replace diesel engines in the heavy-duty and long-haul trucking industry.
Both the federal and provincial governments noted the potential for hydrogen to play a key role in helping meet climate change objectives. Read the Federal and Provincial strategies for more details.
Quotes
"Atura Power is positioned to be a leader in the Ontario hydrogen economy and the Niagara Hydrogen Centre is a major step forward in developing our capabilities in this emerging sector," said Chris Fralick, Atura Power President. "We are excited to advance this project with CEM/Sacré-Davey and expect that with their hydrogen leadership and positive past performance developing energy projects we will be successful in our goal of low-carbon hydrogen production at the Niagara Hydrogen Centre."
"CEM Engineering and our partner Sacré-Davey Engineering are very excited to work with Atura Power, bringing our 20 years of experience developing and implementing innovative energy systems to play a leading role for this major step forward in the development of a 'made in Ontario' hydrogen economy," said Matt Lensink, CEM Engineering CEO. "Atura Power's leadership in the hydrogen economy will pave the way for a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable Ontario."
"Sacré-Davey Engineering is thrilled to be partnering with Atura Power and CEM Engineering in delivering this large scale, low-carbon hydrogen energy project in Ontario," said Chris Sacre, Sacré-Davey Engineering CEO. "This project will build on our 35 years of expertise in the hydrogen and green/renewable energy space, make a significant impact in decarbonizing our energy, and support Canada's 2050 net zero targets."
About Atura Power
Atura Power, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation, plays a key role in the province's electricity system. With plants in Windsor, Halton Hills, Toronto, and Napanee, its fleet of combined-cycle facilities is flexible and dispatchable – an enabler of renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. Atura Power is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and being a leader in facilitating economy-wide adoption of hydrogen across Ontario. aturapower.com/
About CEM Engineering
CEM Engineering is a thermal power project delivery firm, with headquarters in the Niagara Region. With foundational experience in cogeneration and energy management projects, CEM has become a leader in Canada's energy transition with a focus on hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG). Spread across multiple office locations across Canada, CEM provides consulting, schematic design, detailed engineering, and EPC project delivery to help our clients build a more functional world. cemeng.ca
About Sacré-Davey Engineering
Sacré-Davey Engineering is a process-centric engineering and project management company with decades of experience delivering energy and hydrogen-related projects. Sacré-Davey's expertise includes hydrogen generation, pipeline injection, recovery, purification, liquefaction, distribution, and refuelling. Having advanced, delivered, and scaled-up hydrogen projects around the world, Sacré-Davey is committed to supporting the development of a global hydrogen economy. sacre-davey.com/en/hydrogen
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https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/atura-power-awards-owners-engineering-representative-team-cem-sacr-davey-innovative-20mw-green-hydrogen-facility-ontario-canada/
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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tommy Edman hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning for the first walkoff RBI of his major league career, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals over Cincinnati 5-4 on Saturday in yet another Reds bullpen collapse.
“Off the bat, I honestly didn’t think it was going to get out,” Edman said. “I was a little surprised when I saw it bounce in the bullpen, but obviously super-excited when I saw it finally get over the wall.”
Paul Goldschmidt’s streak of reaching base ended at 46 games with an 0-for-4 day for the NL Central-leading Cardinals.
St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made their 316th start together, tying the Boston and Milwaukee Braves’ Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for second-most behind the 324 of Detroit’s Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan.
Wainwright, 40, was matched up against Cincinnati’s 22-year-old Hunter Greene.
Cincinnati led 4-1 in the eighth inning but blew a save for the seventh time in 17 chances, and the Cardinals won despite getting outhit 12-7.
“Guys competed so well, put us in a great position to win the game,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Really, our bullpen did a nice job to get us into that situation. I know it doesn’t always come down to one play, but certainly you feel responsible when you have a decision like that to make.”
Tyler O’Neill, who had three RBIs, hit a two-run double off Hunter Strickland that pulled St. Louis to 4-3 in the eighth.
Joel Kuhnel (0-1), a 27-year-old rookie right-hander, walked Dylan Carlson leading off the ninth but got Molina to ground into a double play.
Juan Yepez singled and Edman reached down for a slider at the knees, driving the ball to right-center for his sixth home run and giving the Cardinals their third walkoff win this season.
“I really enjoyed it,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He took a good swing right there. We did have some opportunities, came up short a couple times, but kept taking our shot. It’s part of the game. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. Heck of a swing by Tommy.”
St. Louis (34-26) won the first two games of the three-game series and sent the NL-worst Reds (20-39) to their fourth straight loss and seventh defeat in nine games. The Cardinals have won 14 of their last 22.
Nick Wittgren (1-0) pitched a one-hit ninth for his first win with St. Louis.
Wainwright allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings.
Greene gave up one run, two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts before being pulled after allowing the first two batters to reach base in the sixth. He topped 100 mph with five pitches and averaged 98.7 mph with his fastball.
“He’s doing a nice job of adapting as the start goes and adjusting to the hitters as they adjust to him,” Bell said. “We’ve seen that really most of the season now. It continues to be impressive.”
Tommy Pham put the Reds ahead with a two-run double in the third off Wainwright, his former teammate, and scored on Kyle Farmer’s single for a 3-0 lead.
O’Neill hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Alejo López, who had replaced an injured Colin Moran, hit an RBI single off Drew VerHagen in the eighth for a 4-1 lead.
BENCHED
Cardinals CF Harrison Bader was removed after six innings for what Marmol said was lack of hustle.
“I had a great conversation with him. He respected it,” Marmol said. “There’s expectations when it comes to effort. It wasn’t met today. He’ll be back in tomorrow.”
Marmol did not specify any play.
“We’ll handle it internally but he understood it, he respected it, and he’ll be back in there tomorrow,” the manager said.
MOVES
Cincinnati claimed OF Stuart Fairchild off waivers from San Francisco and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. RHP James Marinan was designated for assignment.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: Moran left in the bottom of the seventh after getting tangled with Dylan Carlson on a tag at first. Moran veered into Carlson’s path trying to field an errant throw from second baseman Matt Reynolds. “Just kind of a blow to the back, more of almost a whiplash type of action,” Bell said. “He’s okay. He’s going to be fine but obviously we’ll keep a close eye on it.”
Cardinals: LHP Steven Matz (left shoulder impingement) threw long toss in the outfield prior to the game. “He’s still feeling a little bit of that discomfort in the impingement,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “Until you get past that hurdle, you’re not really cleared to take that next step forward. I know he’s going to be reassessed by our medical staff and, hopefully, he’s able to resolve that.”
UP NEXT
RHP Dakota Hudson (4-2, 2.76 ERA) is 6-0 against Cincinnati going into Sunday’s start, joining David Weathers (8-0) as the only pitchers since 1901 with at least six decisions against the Reds and a perfect winning percentage. RHP Graham Ashcraft (3-0, 1.14 ERA) will be making his fifth career start in Sunday’s series finale.
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More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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https://www.myarklamiss.com/sports/ap-sports/edman-walkoff-homer-lifts-cards-over-reds-goldy-streak-ends/
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SINGAPORE, May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, MetaEstate, a Singapore-based metaverse service provider, announced that it has recently closed a multi-million dollar strategic round of funding led by Matrixport and SevenX Ventures, followed by Everest Ventures Group and Y+ Ventures. Besides, Cryptogram Venture (CGV), a Japanese fund that invested in the previous round, performed the follow-up investment in this round. In the current round of funding, several partners of crypto investment institutions also participated in the investment as individuals.
As a brand new field, the virtual real estate market based on the metaverse ecology is booming across the world.. According to statistics of MetaMetric Solutions, the cumulative sales of virtual real estate from mainstream global metaverse projects Sandbox, Decentraland, Cryptovoxels, and Somnium Space reached $500 million in 2021 and are expected to exceed $1 billion in 2022. BrandEssence, a market consultancy, forecasts that the virtual real estate market will grow at a compound annual rate of over 30% between 2022 and 2028.
As the virtual real estate market is highly praised by the market and media, virtual real estate has gradually become an important investment category of global asset allocation and wealth management. In April this year, HSBC Holdings, one of the world's largest banks and financial service institutions, launched the Metaverse Investment Fund, involving infrastructure, virtualization, and other fields, to attract high-net-worth investment groups (HNWIs) from Hong Kong, China, and Singapore. The Wealth Report 2022 by Knight Frank, a world-renowned real estate consulting firm, also pointed out that HNWIs are increasingly diversifying their investments, showing a shift from "real" to "virtual" investments.
Since its inception, MetaEstate, a world-famous metaverse ecological service provider, has carried out extensive business centered on the planning of rational sites for the global metaverse, the construction of excellent buildings, the introduction of famous IPs, the development of usage scenarios, marketing activities and property management services, and has accumulated profound practical experience and industry resources in the distribution, operation, and trading of virtual real estate. Through this strategic round of financing, MetaEstate will introduce a series of strategic partners to provide the necessary support for the following layout of virtual real estate operation, fund capitalization, business globalization, EstateFi financial cooperation and other emerging business segments.
SevenX Ventures argued that from the perspective of investment in blockchain technology and applications, the Internet data and Internet assets generated by Web3 based on the metaverse are being empowered by blockchain technology, and virtual real estate will become the important infrastructure for metaverse. MetaEstate is making steady progress towards a comprehensive solution provider for the Metaverse ecological infrastructure, with huge development potential.
Lin Xiahong, a partner of Continue Capital, stated that the metaverse frenzy led by millennials is triggering the redistribution of wealth. In the US and Canada, young people are keen on owning a house in the Metaverse, which has gradually become a fashion trend. We believe that MetaEstate will constantly make breakthroughs in the global virtual real estate market.
Jerome, a partner of Everest Ventures Group, said that it would help MetaEstate develop a more personalized, differentiated, and diversified competitive advantage in the virtual real estate market by cooperating with ecological partners, including Sandbox and Animoca's ecological resources in the GameFi and NFTs, using EVG's metaverse IP resources and invested companies, and providing innovative application scenarios.
Y+ Ventures believes that the metaverse can break the space & time constraints of supply factors such as land and labor force in the real world, and transform "Land" into digital form to create incremental economic value. MetaEstate has high potential to generate economics of scale around the land development, construction, and property management of the metaverse.
Steve, the founder of Cryptogram Venture, deemed that he would introduce more IPs to MetaEstate, empower the ecological development of the Metaverse, and allow users to enjoy a richer and more interesting experience in the IP virtual space. Meanwhile, CGV will work with MetaEstate to promote the implementation of a new business model integrating virtual space and digital elements based on its unique resource connection capabilities in Asia, especially in the Japanese market.
Kevin Shao, executive chairman of the Asia Blockchain Gaming Alliance (ABGA), emphasized the importance of aggregating resources on ABGA's platform, promoting cooperation between different country regions and different institutional alliances within Asia on GameFi and the metaverse ecology, and supporting MetaEstate's business development through innovative development to achieve business integration and create a win-win situation.
Jackey, the co-founder of MetaEstate, said that virtual real estate is the cornerstone of metaverse assets. MetaEstate positions itself as a metaverse service provider with a view to helping more users enter the metaverse world with a low threshold. Next, it will constantly consolidate and develop an innovative business model based on the construction development business of virtual real estate, providing landowners, artists, business owners, and various users a more immersive, real-time, and diverse pan-entertainment experience. Additionally, in the future, it will further explore new organizational forms such as DAOs and trade unions for virtual real estate, emphasizing promoting virtual real estate's issuance, operation, and trading platforms construction and emerging businesses.
It is reported that, in September 2021, MetaEstate completed a million-dollar seed round of funding led by Cryptomeria Labs and Rocktree Capital, followed by Kirin Fund, IcarusArt.AI, Waterdrip Capital, Consensus Lab, Chain Capital, and Cryptogram Venture (CGV). Many KOLs in encryption art, NFTs, and traditional VC also participated in this investment.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/metaestate-has-closed-a-multi-million-dollar-strategic-round-of-funding-led-by-matrixport-and-sevenx-ventures-301554507.html
SOURCE MetaEstate
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Willson Contreras ran into Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer von Friday morning for the first time since Hoyer decided Tuesday to keep his All-Star catcher for the rest of the season.
“I saw him early in the morning when I was doing my workouts,” Contreras said Friday after the Cubs’ 2-1 win against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. “He just passed by me and said ‘Hi.’
“But at any moment we will talk. We’re here. That’s the most important thing.”
Whether Contreras will remain with the Cubs after the 2022 season is anyone’s guess, but at least he has almost two months to convince Hoyer why he deserves to stay in the organization long term.
Contreras let his bat do all the talking Friday in what everyone called his “homecoming” game. His two-run home run in the eighth inning led the Cubs to a comeback win over the Marlins, snapping a five-game losing streak.
“I’m happy to be with the Cubs for the rest of the year,” Contreras said. “Why not? We have a really good chemistry in the clubhouse, a really good fan base. I know that right now this is not a winning team, but I know at some point we will turn into a winning team.
“They’ve done a good job raising the farm (system). I’ve been hearing a lot about prospects in the organization that are really exciting. Hopefully with time and experience, they’ll be the best.”
Cubs fans showered Contreras with love before his first-inning at-bat and again after his no-doubt-about-it home run off Dylan Floro in the eighth, shortly after Nick Madrigal led off the inning with a single. Madrigal had the Cubs’ first hit of the game — a single leading off the sixth off reliever Huascar Brazobán — heading into the inning.
Justin Steele struck out 10 in 4 ⅔ innings, while reliever Rowan Wick threw 1 ⅓ scoreless frames to earn the win.
But the day belonged to Contreras, who was hugging everyone in sight the last time he left Wrigley after assuming like everyone else that he would be dealt by the Tuesday trade deadline.
“Last time was kind of saying goodbye, it was an emotional moment,” Contreras said. “Today was really a high-energy moment.”
Hoyer, who wasn’t available Friday — he is scheduled to talk with reporters next week — said via a Zoom call Tuesday that he held on to Contreras and Ian Happ because he didn’t feel the return being offered was worth the price. It’s difficult to imagine the Cubs wouldn’t get enough talent back for a couple of All-Stars, and holding on to Contreras was an especially risky move if they don’t re-sign him. Happ has another year before he becomes a free agent, so it was less of a surprise that he stayed.
Contreras hopes the story is over and he can get some sense of normalcy back for the final weeks of a lost season. He admitted it was exhausting going through the anxiety of the last month, especially over the final days. When he came to St. Louis on Wednesday — the day after the trade deadline — he told his teammates “my eyes are just tired. I just want to be somewhere sleeping.”
But after Friday’s game Contreras said he feels “more relaxed” and can focus on the job at hand. He still wants to win and can build his stats to increase his value on the free-agent market.
Cubs fans have spoken loudly about their preference for Hoyer to retain Contreras, who repeatedly has said he wants to stay, even with the rebuild in the first year. Last week in San Francisco he told reporters: “I care a lot about winning. I know this team is not made to win this year — not even close. But I learned a lot from this team, too, from losing.”
It’s been a long season for the Cubs, and Contreras, more than anyone, has been through the grinder.
But he knows exactly where he wants to be, and he’s still here.
Anytime Hoyer wants to talk, Contreras is ready to listen.
()
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Biden suspends rules limiting immigrant arrest, deportation
BOSTON (AP) — The Biden administration, reacting to a federal court ruling in Texas, has suspended an order that had focused resources for the arrest and deportation of immigrants on those who are considered a threat to public safety and national security.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Saturday it will abide by the decision issued this month, even though it “strongly disagrees” and is appealing it.
Immigrant advocates and experts on Monday said the suspension of Biden’s order will only sow fear among immigrant communities.
Many living in the country illegally will now be afraid to leave their homes out of concern they’ll be detained, even if they’re otherwise law-abiding, said Steve Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University.
Prioritizing whom to arrest and deport is a necessity, he said. “We simply don’t have enough ICE agents to pick up and put into proceedings everyone who violates our immigration law,” Yale-Loehr said.
The Texas case centers around a memorandum Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, issued last September, directing immigration agencies to focus their enforcement efforts on those who represented a threat to national security or public safety or who recently entered the U.S. illegally.
The approach was a departure from President Donald Trump’s administration, when immigration agencies were given wide latitude on whom to arrest, detain and deport, prompting many immigrants without legal status to upend their daily routines to evade detection, such as avoiding driving or even taking sanctuary in churches and other places generally off limits to immigration authorities.
But on June 10, U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton in southern Texas voided Mayorkas’ memo, siding with Republican state officials in Texas and Louisiana who argued the Biden administration did not have the authority to issue such a directive.
In response, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will make enforcement decisions on “a case-by-case basis in a professional and responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement officials and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland,” the Department of Homeland Security said in its statement Saturday.
How the court ruling plays out in cities and towns across the country remains to be seen, advocates say.
Sarang Sekhavat, political director at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the largest such group in New England, said the outcome likely rests on the approach taken by local ICE field offices.
Some ICE offices may elect to go after a wider range of immigrants, while others will continue to focus on going after ones that pose the greatest threats, he said.
“This takes away any kind of centralized guidance,” Sekhavat said. “What this does is really leave it in the hands of the local field office and how they want to go about enforcement.”
Nationwide, ICE officials arrested more than 74,000 immigrants and removed more than 59,000 in the fiscal year that ended in September, according to the agency’s most recent annual report. That’s down from the nearly 104,000 arrests and 186,000 deportations the prior fiscal year, according to ICE data.
ICE spokespersons in Washington and the Boston field office, which covers the six-state New England region, declined to comment Monday, as did officials in ICE’s Los Angeles field office.
But in a June interview with The Associated Press conducted before the Texas court ruling, Thomas Giles, head of ICE’s LA office, said nine out of 10 immigration arrests locally involve people convicted of crimes.
He said the Biden administration’s priorities didn’t bring a huge change for the region because officers were already focused on people with felony criminal convictions or prior deportations.
It required them to weigh aggravating and mitigating factors and make more detailed evaluations on cases, he said, but the focus remained constant.
“We’re out here enhancing public safety,” Giles said.
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Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kswo.com/2022/06/28/biden-suspends-rules-limiting-immigrant-arrest-deportation/
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Delta to begin paying flight attendants during boarding
(AP) - Delta Air Lines, which is facing another attempt to unionize its flight attendants, will begin paying cabin crews during boarding, a first for a major U.S. airline.
Across the airline industry in the United States, hourly pay for flight attendants starts when all the passengers are seated and the plane’s doors close.
Delta said the change will start June 2 on all flights.
In a memo to flight attendants, Delta’s senior vice president of in-flight service, Kristen Manion Taylor, said the new pay “further recognizes how important your role is on board to ensuring a welcoming, safe and on-time start to each flight.”
The rate of pay during boarding will be 50% of regular wages.
The change comes as Delta plans to increase the boarding time for single-aisle or “narrow-body” planes from 35 minutes to 40 minutes, which the airline expects will increase the percentage of flights that depart on time.
Manion Taylor said that after a test last fall, and getting comments from flight attendants, she promised not to impose the new boarding times without providing additional pay for the cabin crews.
Delta said the new boarding pay would be on top of 4% raises for flight attendants that it announced in March and which take effect later this week.
Atlanta-based Delta has successfully campaigned to defeat several attempts to organize its 20,000 flight attendants. The Association of Flight Attendants — which has been gearing up its latest organizing effort at Delta for more than two years but has not yet amassed enough support to force a vote — took credit for the boarding pay.
“This new policy is the direct result of our organizing,” the union said in a statement posted on its website. “As we get closer to filing for our union vote, management is getting nervous.”
The union represents flight attendants at United, Alaska, Spirit and about a dozen smaller airlines. Delta said none of those airlines pay their cabin crews for boarding time.
Unions represent between 82% and 86% of workers at American, United and Southwest, but only 20% of Delta’s 83,000 employees, according to a regulatory filing. Delta’s 13,000 pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association. Flight attendants at Delta’s Endeavor Air regional-flying subsidiary are unionized.
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David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kmvt.com/2022/04/26/delta-begin-paying-flight-attendants-during-boarding/
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- More than 25% of patients reported being severely or very severely impacted by their migraine attacks
- Study showed higher levels of migraine-related disability were associated with increased HCRU costs in primary care and specialty settings among adults with episodic migraine
- Data suggests that assessment of disability in people with migraine may support prescribing of cost-effective interventions, particularly among those with severe disability
NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN) announced the publication of new real-world research showing that as migraine-related disability increases, healthcare utilization also increases among Americans with episodic migraine. Targeting high disability patients with effective treatments may reduce disability and improve the cost-effectiveness of medical care among primary care and specialty providers. These findings were published in the March issue of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, the official journal of the American Headache Society.
Participants in this retrospective, cohort study were identified using claims and electronic health record data from the Decision Resources Group database. Adults (aged ≥18 years) were eligible if they had received a diagnosis of migraine with or without aura, as defined by International Classification of Disease codes (ICD-9 or ICD-10) and completed a Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) questionnaire between January 2016 and December 2018. Researchers explored the associations between migraine-related disability, as measured by MIDAS score, and the cost of HCRU for the 6 months after MIDAS assessment in primary care and specialty settings.
One of the important findings of the study is that among the 7,662 adults who were analyzed, 26% (1,982) reported severe or very severe disability. This translates to a median of approximately 33 days per quarter (derived from source data) wherein migraine patients were unable to pursue activities of daily living (absenteeism) or were severely impaired in these activities (presenteeism). Adjusted six month cost estimates, summarized in Figures 1 and 2, showed that higher levels of migraine-related disability were associated with increased medical and pharmacy costs.
"This study describes the relationships between MIDAS grades, healthcare resource utilization, and direct medical costs," said Richard Lipton, M.D., professor and vice chair of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who developed the MIDAS instrument and is senior author on the study. "Our findings suggest that disability assessments in people with migraine may be used to target individuals with the most to gain from effective treatment. The cost offsets of effective treatment should be assessed in these most disabled and costly patient groups."
Gil L'Italien Ph.D., Senior Vice President, GHEOR & Epidemiology, Biohaven, and co-author of the study, observed, "This analysis, derived from claims and health record data representing 90% of health plans in the United States further underscores the association between migraine disability and healthcare resource utilization, and establishes the MIDAS questionnaire as a useful tool for predicting and potentially controlling costs associated with migraine management."
About Migraine
Nearly 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from migraine and the World Health Organization classifies migraine as one of the 10 most disabling medical illnesses. Migraine is characterized by debilitating attacks lasting four to 72 hours with multiple symptoms, including pulsating headaches of moderate to severe pain intensity that can be associated with nausea or vomiting, and/or sensitivity to sound (phonophobia) and sensitivity to light (photophobia). There is a significant unmet need for new treatments as more than 90 percent of people with migraine are unable to work or function normally during an attack.
About Biohaven
Biohaven is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, best-in-class therapies to improve the lives of patients with debilitating neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including rare disorders. Biohaven's Neuroinnovation™ portfolio includes FDA-approved NURTEC® ODT (rimegepant) for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine and a broad pipeline of late-stage product candidates across three distinct mechanistic platforms: CGRP receptor antagonism for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine; glutamate modulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and spinocerebellar ataxia; MPO inhibition for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Kv7 Ion Channel Activators (Kv7), and Myostatin. More information about Biohaven is available at www.biohavenpharma.com and Nurtec ODT at www.nurtec.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the ability to commercialize NURTEC®️ ODT (rimegepant), delays or problems in the supply or manufacture of commercial product, complying with applicable U.S. regulatory requirements, the expected timing, commencement and outcomes of Biohaven's planned and ongoing clinical trials, the timing of planned interactions with the FDA, the timing and outcome of regulatory filings, the potential commercialization of Biohaven's product candidates, the potential for Biohaven's product candidates to be first in class or best in class therapies and the effectiveness and safety of Biohaven's product candidates. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those that may be expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Additional important factors to be considered in connection with forward-looking statements are described in the "Risk Factors" section of Biohaven's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2022, and Biohaven's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements are made as of this date and Biohaven does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
NURTEC and NURTEC ODT are registered trademarks of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Ireland DAC. Neuroinnovation is a trademark of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
Biohaven Contact
Jennifer Porcelli
Vice President, Investor Relations
jennifer.porcelli@biohavenpharma.com
201-248-0741
Media Contact
Mike Beyer
Sam Brown Inc.
mikebeyer@sambrown.com
312-961-2502
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- Q1 2022 revenues were down year-over-year but comparable quarter-over-quarter, consistent with expectations set at the Company's full year 2021 conference call on April 4, 2022
- Q1 2022 AssetCare™ Over Time revenues were down 38% at C$4.0 million for the quarter compared to C$6.4 million in Q1 2021, comparable to the C$3.9 million seen in Q4 2021
- Q1 2022 total revenues were down 40% at C$4.4 million for the quarter compared to C$7.4 million in Q1 2021, modestly higher than the C$4.2 million seen in Q4 2021
- Added 774 new connected assets in the quarter including assets from large implementation of the Company's AssetCare indoor air quality solution at Slate Life Plaza building in Calgary
- As announced on May 5, 2022, Company closed first US$15 million in funding from partnership with Carbon Royalty Corp as demand for Company's EV charging optimization solution at auto dealerships off to a strong start in 2022
- Growth activities in the Middle East, Canada, and Europe expected to see significant ramp going forward into 2023
- Structure defined for retirement of the Company's 2019 convertible debenture by June 30, 2022
VANCOUVER, BC, May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - mCloud Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: MCLD) (TSXV: MCLD), ("mCloud" or the "Company") a leading provider of AI-powered asset management and Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG") solutions today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 ("Q1 2022").
mCloud President and CEO Russ McMeekin commented on the results:
"mCloud's results in the first quarter of 2022 were in line with what was discussed at our last conference call for the fourth quarter and full year 2021 on April 4, 2022, reflecting the impact of impeded use of mCloud solutions up to the end of March."
"We saw a modest uptick in the addition of new connected assets this past quarter. Among the new assets we added in Q1 2022 was the installation of AssetCare at the Slate Life Plaza building in Calgary, which we originally announced in November 2021. This is mCloud's first major high-rise commercial building using our indoor air quality solution. The before-and-after results of buildings with our solution continue to showcase the measurable impact and positive benefits we have on buildings seeking the safe return of occupants to the workplace."
"In addition to the ongoing success we are seeing in our buildings business, we are well-positioned for growth across all segments. In June, we plan to begin scaling our business in Saudi Arabia. As evidenced by our recent press announcement in early May, our wind customers in Europe are returning to work. We believe our business in Europe will continue to grow throughout the year and beyond heading into 2023."
"Numerous customer sites tied to our upstream digital oilfield initiatives based out of our ESG-Digital Hub in Houston are now entering contracting. Recent moves in the United States to implement new stringent policies and reduce methane emissions coupled with high oil prices have made our AssetCare solutions at the wellsite especially relevant. As discussed at our last conference call, we are in a position to see strong growth in this segment."
"In the past quarter, Alberta and the rest of Canada began returning to work. We look forward to this return, bringing with it the opportunity for us to take our full portfolio of AssetCare solutions to new and existing customers across the country."
The Company noted today it had filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on May 11, 2022. The Form F-1 outlines a proposed offering for sale of 9.0% Series A Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Shares, no par value, with a US$25.00 liquidation preference per share (the "Series A Preferred Shares").
Each Series A Preferred Share is proposed to be sold with one-half of one warrant (each, a "Warrant", and together, the "Warrants") to purchase one common share. The Warrants would be exercisable on the date of issuance and expire on November 29, 2026, at an exercise price per common share equal to $4.75. The Company currently intends to use the net proceeds of the offering for the retirement of the company's Convertible Debentures due on June 30, 2022.
The offering is subject to market conditions and the receipt of all required regulatory and stock exchange approvals, including the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form F-1, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.
Additional details are available in the Form F-1 available under mCloud's profile on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. This press release is being made pursuant to, and in accordance with, Rule 134 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Any offers, solicitations or offers to buy, or any sales of securities will be made in accordance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
As announced on May 5, 2022, mCloud closed US$15 million in funds from its partnership with Carbon Royalty Corp in support of the Company's implementation of AssetCare EV charging optimization solutions at auto dealerships.
The Company reiterated its expectations for 2022 remain consistent with what was discussed at mCloud's last earnings conference call on April 4, 2022.
Q1 2022 Revenue Highlights
All figures in millions of Canadian dollars
In the table above, the Company has provided a summary of quarterly revenues compared year-over-year to the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 ("Q1 2021"), and quarter-over-quarter to the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021 ("Q4 2021"). The Company believes the quarter-over-quarter comparison provides useful and relevant context to compare current quarter performance as it relates to current operating conditions.
Consistent with the discussion at mCloud's last earnings conference call on April 4, 2022, Q1 2022 revenues were down year-over-year. Q1 2022 AssetCare Over Time revenues were C$4.0 million for the quarter compared to C$6.4 million in Q1 2021, but consistent with the C$3.9 million seen in Q4 2021.
Q1 2022 total revenues were C$4.4 million for the quarter compared to C$7.4 million in Q1 2021, but higher compared to C$4.2 million in Q4 2021.
The Company added 774 new connected assets in the quarter reaching a cumulative total of 64,550 connected assets.
Operating EBITDA, defined as gross profit less all direct expenses, saw a loss of C$6.7 million in Q1 2022. As AssetCare revenues return to pre-pandemic levels, the Company expects gross profit contributions to exceed the costs incurred from direct expenses, which will drive a positive Operating EBITDA in late 2022.
Q1 2021 Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call at 10:00 am EDT on May 17, 2022 to discuss the financial results. The conference call will include prepared remarks from Russ McMeekin, Chief Executive Officer, and Chantal Schutz, Chief Financial Officer. After the prepared remarks, the Company will accept questions.
To access the conference call by telephone, dial 416-764-8659 or 1-888-664-6392 with the confirmation number 41593877. Please connect approximately 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the call to ensure participation. The conference call will be archived for replay by telephone until May 24, 2022 at midnight (ET). To access the archived conference call, dial 1-888-390-0541 and enter the reservation number 593877.
A live audio webcast of the conference call along with slides will be available at https://bit.ly/3wdaXTR. Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to join the webcast. The webcast will be archived at the above website for one year.
About mCloud Technologies Corp.
mCloud is unlocking the untapped potential of energy intensive assets with AI and analytics, curbing energy waste, maximizing energy production, and getting the most out of critical energy infrastructure. Through mCloud's AI-powered AssetCare™ platform, mCloud offers complete asset management solutions for commercial buildings, renewable energy, healthcare, heavy industry, and connected workers. IoT sensors bring data from connected assets into the cloud, where AI and analytics are applied to maximize their performance.
With a worldwide presence and offices in San Francisco, Vancouver, Calgary, London, Perth, Singapore, and Beijing, the mCloud family includes an ecosystem of operating subsidiaries that deliver high-performance IoT, AI, 3D, and mobile capabilities to customers, all integrated into AssetCare. With over 100 blue-chip customers and more than 64,000 assets connected in thousands of locations worldwide, mCloud is changing the way energy assets are managed.
mCloud's common shares trade in the United States on the Nasdaq and in Canada on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol MCLD. mCloud's convertible debentures trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol MCLD.DB. For more information, visit www.mcloudcorp.com.
Non-GAAP Measure
Selected financial information for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2022, December 31, 2021, and March 31, 2021 set out above include reference to "Operating EBITDA," which is not recognized under International Financial Reporting Standards and is a non-generally accepted accounting principle ("Non-GAAP") measure.
The Company defines Operating EBITDA attributed to shareholders as gross profit less all expenses related to sales and marketing, wages, salaries, and benefits, research and development, and general and administrative activities.
The Company believes Operating EBITDA is a useful measure as it provides important and relevant information to management about the operating and financial performance of the Company. Operating EBITDA enables management to assess its ability to generate operating cash flow to fund future working capital needs, and to support future growth.
This information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 along with mCloud's MD&As for the corresponding periods, which are available under mCloud's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
Forward-Looking Information and Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information contained herein may include information related to the Company's plans to begin scaling its business in Saudi Arabia, plans to bring AssetCare solutions to new and existing customers in Canada, and the Company's expected growth in Europe and its wind business.
By identifying such information and statements in this manner, the Company is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements.
A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company appears in the prospectus supplement, the base shelf prospectus and the registration statement and in the Company's Annual Information Form and other continuous disclosure filings, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.
In connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcloud-announces-first-quarter-2022-financial-results-301548421.html
SOURCE mCloud Technologies Corp.
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https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_stocks/mcloud-announces-first-quarter-2022-financial-results/article_f04f2be9-2345-5fdf-95d5-7bd392b50047.html
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Just think about this: Humanity has gone from the Age of Reason to the Era of the Celebrity Meal. You would think that after coming to be enlightened a few centuries ago, we would've ended up in a better spot, but no; naming fast food combo meals after celebrities is what we got.
Celebrity meals are becoming a popular ploy among fast food chains such as McDonald's, Dunkin and Popeye's. They are so close to replacing combo numbers that it won't be long until we're asking someone through a speaker to give us a Charlie Sheen meal with a side of Katherine Heigl and a large Danny DeVito.
There's no difference in the taste. These companies are just throwing money at the wrong part of the problem by so obviously playing into social media trends to make already substandard food seem more exciting and flashier than it could ever hope to be on its own. It's not just a burger, it's Zoë Kravitz's burger!
The only one so far that has made even a modicum of sense is the Jack Harlow Meal at Kentucky Fried Chicken. It's named for the pop rapper who's from (wait for it) Kentucky. Even if there's an obvious connection, it doesn't change the taste of the food. It's not "POPPIN" by any sense of the capitalized word.
We ordered one to check it out. The meal consists of a KFC spicy chicken sandwich, a modest order of fries, a side dish of macaroni and cheese and a medium lemonade. It's supposed to come with a cup of ranch dipping sauce but someone behind the counter didn't put it in our bag, which is a shame because it's the only thing that differentiates this meal from anything else in the menu. It's listed on the drive-thru menu so it's assumed it was supposed to come with it.
Oh, and it's named after Jack Harlow. Those are the only two differences.
KFC always tasted blander to me compared to other fast food fried chicken. The company can brag all day about its 11 herbs and spices, but I can barely taste one of them. To hide this fact, the sandwich is smothered in a spicy remoulade-esque sauce, which is how fast food places classify the difference between a chicken sandwich and a spicy chicken sandwich.
The sauce tastes like an overreach for its brand chicken patty. It borders on the kind of hot sauce you'd only eat if it'll get your picture on the restaurant's wall. It's supposed to enhance the taste but all it does it assault your senses long after you've eaten it. That's a great feeling if you're trying to produce a top 10 hit and you've run out of drugs. It's not so great for your digestive tract.
When Harlow performed "I Wanna See Some Ass" he clearly meant to add "stuck for an hour on the toilet."
The fries carton claims they have a "secret recipe." Here's the secret: They're probably frozen. One of the worst mistakes KFC ever made was getting rid of its potato skinned fries. The ones that took its place on the menu are bland, flavorless and boring as hell. Why would anyone put their name on that? Even Colonel Sanders would want his name taken off the menu.
The macaroni and cheese is just a step above Kraft macaroni and cheese and is fine if you're too lazy to boil some water during a mac and cheese craving. They're still soft as hell and tastes like the nacho cheese that comes with the tortilla chips at the movies.
The lemonade was the only bright spot of the whole thing, mostly because it washed the taste of the meal right out of my mouth. Even if it's not freshly squeezed lemonade, at least it has a palatable flavor.
The worst part had nothing to do with the food. It took three tries to find a KFC that was still in operation on my mobile phone. In order to get the only one that's open, you have to go past much better restaurants, fast food or otherwise. All the ride does is remind you that you could be eating something better, something that doesn't require a pop star's name to make it sound more appealing.
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https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/jack-harlow-has-his-own-kfc-meal-and-it-sucks-14365047
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Burlington County Acting Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Beverly City Public Safety Director Rich Wolbert have announced that the person who barricaded himself inside a Beverly City residence last week has been charged with killing a man in the home prior to the ensuing standoff with law enforcement.
Larry Brown, 27, was charged June 21 with Murder (First Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Third Degree) and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Fourth Degree).
Brown was served with the warrant at the Prosecutor’s Office. He has been lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly on charges stemming from the June 14 incident at the Bentley Avenue residence. A detention hearing will be held soon in Superior Court.
The investigation began after the Beverly City Police Department was contacted on that date at approximately 1:15 a.m. by a woman who said she had just spoken to Brown, who was inside the home. She told police that Brown indicated 34-year-old Cecilio Luciano had been killed in the residence a short time earlier.
Police became aware that a woman and four children resided at the home and were present with Brown. When contacted by police, Brown refused to exit the house, but the woman and kids emerged unharmed over the next several hours. Brown came out at approximately 8:30 a.m. and was taken into custody.
The New Jersey State Police TEAMS Unit entered the home and discovered Luciano’s body. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood indicated the Highland Park resident had been bludgeoned to death. The investigation determined the weapon was a baseball bat.
Brown, who primarily resided with a relative in Burlington Township, was charged last week with Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons, Kidnapping and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, all second-degree crimes.
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Beverly City Police Department, Burlington County Bridge Commission Police Department, Delanco Police Department, Delran Police Department, Edgewater Park Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Riverside Township Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.
The lead investigators are BCPO Detectives Jenn Marchese, Kevin Sobotka and Andrew Ridolfi.
Brown will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Bob Van Gilst, supervisor of the BCPO Major Crimes Unit – Violent Crimes Section.
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https://www.trentonian.com/2022/06/24/man-who-forced-standoff-with-police-charged-with-beverly-city-homicide/
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Artist Tami Swarner makes and sells a variety of decorative and colorful ornaments at a handful of fairs around southern Idaho each summer. This was her first time at Arts in the Park.
Lorien Nettleton
John Simpson plays pedal steel with Buddy DeVore and the Faded Cowboys on Saturday in Shoshone. The Faded Cowboys will play again Sunday.
Lorien Nettleton
People perused the wares of more than 50 vendors on the Lincoln County Courthouse lawn during Shoshone Arts in the Park, which runs through Sunday.
SHOSHONE — For the town’s signature event, this weekend’s Arts in the Park welcomes some 50 artists from around the Mountain West, offering paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, fiber, glass, woodwork, photography, folk art and much more.
Running through Sunday, the festival is in in the shade of tall, 100-year-old trees on the Lincoln County Courthouse lawn, where visitors can dine on a variety of foods and listen to some top-notch music.
Arts in the Park is one of the biggest events of the year for the town, said Payson Reese, who has served as president of the Shoshone Chamber of Commerce for 11 years.
Now in its 34th year, Arts in the Park is poised to be bigger than ever.
“Last year was our biggest and we expect this one will be bigger,” Reese said. “It’s one of the major events in our county — it draws a lot of people. We’ll probably see up to 2,500 people come in over the weekend.”
Musical act Buddy DeVore and the Faded Cowboys entertain both Saturday and Sunday, playing classic country music, Pinto Bennett covers, and Buddy’s own original music.
Other performers draw on a repertoire of folk, bluegrass, pop and old-timey music — and most all things acoustic.
The stars of the fair are the more than 40 arts and crafts vendors, selling all manner of antiques, handmade art, jewelry, décor, and crocheted and crafted items.
Melanie Gallup has sold handmade soaps and bath accessories at the park since she began selling soap in 2014. Gallup, proprietor of Calloused Hands Bounty, is a regular vendor at farmers markets in Shoshone, Jerome and Gooding.
Arts in the Park’s “super fun for me,” she said. “It’s one of my biggest venues. I’ve got people that come and look for me particularly now.
“I am probably going to sell at least a couple hundred bars of soap, would be my guess,” Gallup said.
And she’ll throw in a story for free.
Gallup’s soaps are named for places or events significant to her and her family: The Fall River Soap, for example, is named for the river she was raised on in Ashton; and Cow Corrals Soap is named for all the time the family spends in cow corrals.
But Gallup’s most popular soap, French Whorehouse, is based on an inside joke.
Her husband, Don, is a large animal veterinarian and for Christmas she makes 80 or 90 bars of the soap to give to his clients.
“The first year we ever did it, you can imagine what 80 bars of soap does for one vet truck,” Gallup said.
“(Don) told this rancher, ‘Come to the pickup — I’ve got a present for you.’
“He opened up the doors — lemongrass mint is the scent — it came wafting out of the pickup and the rancher looked at Don and said, ‘Why does your truck smell like a French whorehouse?’”
That name stuck and now the soap is usually the first to sell out, Gallup said.
1 of 7
Shoshone Arts in the Park
John Simpson plays pedal steel with Buddy DeVore and the Faded Cowboys on Saturday in Shoshone. The Faded Cowboys will play again Sunday.
Shoshone's Rodeo Queens were at Arts in the Park to promote the Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo, which runs the last two weekends in July.
From Left: Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho Megan Taber, Lincoln County Rodeo Queen contestant Sidney Telford, Lincoln County Rodeo Queen Taylor Korum, Lincoln County Jr. Rodeo Queen Abbigail Whittier, and Hailey Days of the Old West Rodeo Queen Tymbur Burkie.
Artist Tami Swarner's handmade ornaments sway in the breeze at Tami's Twisted Trees. Swarner makes and sells a variety of decorative and colorful ornaments at a handful of fairs around southern Idaho in the summer.
Artist Tami Swarner makes and sells a variety of decorative and colorful ornaments at a handful of fairs around southern Idaho each summer. This was her first time at Arts in the Park.
Shoshone Fire Department had Engine No. 1 on display. Also known as 'Betsy,' the GMC fire engine chassis outfitted by American LaFrance & Foamite Corp. was built in 1929 and bought new by the City of Shoshone. It stayed in service until the 1980s, and is still in excellent working order.
Woodsman Chuck Wiegard displays a bowl with unique and interesting grain pattern at Arts in the Park on Saturday, July 9, 2022. The event runs through Sunday July 10.
John Simpson plays pedal steel with Buddy DeVore and the Faded Cowboys on Saturday in Shoshone. The Faded Cowboys will play again Sunday.
Lorien Nettleton
Shoshone Arts in the Park
People perused the wares of more than 50 vendors on the Lincoln County Courthouse lawn during Shoshone Arts in the Park, which runs through Sunday.
Lorien Nettleton
Shoshone Arts in the Park
Shoshone's Rodeo Queens were at Arts in the Park to promote the Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo, which runs the last two weekends in July.
From Left: Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho Megan Taber, Lincoln County Rodeo Queen contestant Sidney Telford, Lincoln County Rodeo Queen Taylor Korum, Lincoln County Jr. Rodeo Queen Abbigail Whittier, and Hailey Days of the Old West Rodeo Queen Tymbur Burkie.
Lorien Nettleton
Shoshone Arts in the Park
Artist Tami Swarner's handmade ornaments sway in the breeze at Tami's Twisted Trees. Swarner makes and sells a variety of decorative and colorful ornaments at a handful of fairs around southern Idaho in the summer.
Lorien Nettleton
Shoshone Arts in the Park
Artist Tami Swarner makes and sells a variety of decorative and colorful ornaments at a handful of fairs around southern Idaho each summer. This was her first time at Arts in the Park.
Lorien Nettleton
Shoshone Arts in the Park
Shoshone Fire Department had Engine No. 1 on display. Also known as 'Betsy,' the GMC fire engine chassis outfitted by American LaFrance & Foamite Corp. was built in 1929 and bought new by the City of Shoshone. It stayed in service until the 1980s, and is still in excellent working order.
Lorien Nettleton
Shoshone Arts in the Park
Woodsman Chuck Wiegard displays a bowl with unique and interesting grain pattern at Arts in the Park on Saturday, July 9, 2022. The event runs through Sunday July 10.
“The operation’s focus was to identify and arrest individuals targeting minor children over the internet for purposes of sexual abuse.” Rupert Police Department Sgt. Sam Kuoha said.
Artist Tami Swarner makes and sells a variety of decorative and colorful ornaments at a handful of fairs around southern Idaho each summer. This was her first time at Arts in the Park.
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https://magicvalley.com/news/local/shoshone-arts-in-the-park/article_585a41b6-fd6e-11ec-9790-377be49ddc99.html
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FARMINGDALE, N.Y., July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BEDGEAR®, the brand of Performance® that provides innovative bedding by focusing on an active lifestyle and well-being, is unveiling at Las Vegas Market Summer 2022 a new Flex adjustable base to its current product line, enhancements to the M3 Performance® Mattress and engaging "retail theater" displays to attract shoppers back into stores.
"BEDGEAR has always been about helping consumers find their personalized fit with all of our Performance® bedding products," said BEDGEAR founder and CEO Eugene Alletto. "Earlier this year we introduced BEDGEAR's first branded Flex adjustable bases that allowed consumers to find their most comfortable positions while sleeping, working on a laptop or watching TV. Based on that successful product line, BEDGEAR is introducing a new durable and ergonomically designed Flex base that is so lightweight it is UPS shippable. Additionally, it is easy to assemble by the consumer or retail partner delivery driver."
Enhancements to BEDGEAR's M3, the world's first dual-sided mattress that can be modified with four different support levels for each side, will be featured at Las Vegas Market. The updated M3 will highlight an instant-cooling Ver-Tex™ cover in white; it is currently offered in a steel grey. The M3 also will provide enhanced airflow with its new ventilated comfort layer and recyclable Independent Suspension™ Units, which determine the firmness level of the mattress and are interchangeable.
"Most mattress and bedding galleries are boring. BEDGEAR's retail partners are looking to give their shoppers interactive and engaging displays as well as a reason to explore their stores and make the shopping experience more additive for both the consumer and retail sales associate at the point of sale," said Alletto. At Las Vegas Market, BEDGEAR will showcase new "retail theater" displays that demonstrate the immense breathability of its pillows, sheets and mattresses.
Some of BEDGEAR's other innovations at Las Vegas Market include:
- Performance® pillows that not only provide cross-ventilation and maximum breathability with their state-of-the-art air vents but also embrace curves by featuring more cuddle-curve designs. These pillows feature a crescent shape that contours and forms perfectly to the sleeper's head, neck and shoulders, giving sleepers more opportunity to find their ideal comfort.
- M3 Ambient smart bed technology, allowing sleepers to take control of each side of their bed. The app-controlled M3 Ambient features dual-sided temperature control to achieve personalized comfort. This includes a microclimate with ample airflow for each side of the mattress.
- Three new sheet collections in a variety of colors featuring instant-cooling Ver-Tex™ and moisture-wicking Dri-Tec® technologies as well as other smart fabric technologies.
- BEDGEAR Baby and Kids will highlight new crib mattresses, crib sheets and kids' mattress protectors that feature the same breathable fabrics and Performance technologies found in adult mattresses, protectors and sheets to ensure babies and children have a safe, clean and comfortable sleep environment.
Contact a BEDGEAR representative to check out why BEDGEAR's new and enhanced bedding products are the perfect fit in showroom B-1100 at Las Vegas Winter Market from July 23-28, 2022.
BEDGEAR's products are available in stores across the United States.
Launched in 2009, BEDGEAR® is the brand of Performance® that provides innovative bedding by focusing on an active lifestyle and well-being. BEDGEAR's sleep solutions are engineered with fabrics that are moisture wicking, instant cooling and maximize airflow to allow the body to naturally regulate its temperature. With a core belief of One Size Does Not Fit All™, BEDGEAR has redefined the way people view sleep by developing interactive in-store experiences and breathable bedding products that are personally fit to a consumer based on specific factors, including body type, sleep position and temperature. BEDGEAR is dedicated to integrating environmental responsibility into product development to ensure less returned goods are being sent to landfills. BEDGEAR is essential to the rest and recovery routines of professional athletes and active people who need to maximize their sleep. A proud manufacturer in the USA, BEDGEAR offers mattresses, pillows, sheets, blankets, pet beds as well as travel, kids and baby products that often feature removable and washable covers to maintain a clean and healthy sleep environment. BEDGEAR is represented in more than 4,000 retail stores across the globe and has earned more than 220 U.S. and worldwide patents, trademark registrations and pending applications. Wake Ready®! Learn more at bedgear.com.
Media Contact:
Christopher Leary
cleary@bedgear.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE BEDGEAR
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/07/20/bedgears-new-innovations-focus-adjustable-bases-m3-performance-mattress-retail-theater-las-vegas-market-summer-2022/
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HOUSTON (AP) — One by one, they took the stage at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Houston and denounced the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school across the state. And one by one, they insisted that further restricting access to firearms was not the answer to preventing future tragedies.
“The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens,” said former President Donald Trump, who was among the Republicans who lined up to speak before the gun rights lobbying group Friday as thousands of protesters angry about gun violence demonstrated outside.
“The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens,” he said.
The gathering came just three days after the shooting in Uvalde and as the nation grappled with revelations that students trapped inside a classroom with the gunman repeatedly called 911 during the attack — one pleading “Please send the police now” — as officers waited in the hallway for more than 45 minutes.
The NRA had said that convention attendees would “reflect on” the shooting at the event and “pray for the victims, recognize our patriotic members and pledge to redouble our commitment to making our schools secure.”
The meeting was the first for the troubled organization since 2019, following a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization has been trying to regroup following a period of serious legal and financial turmoil that included a failed bankruptcy effort, a class-action lawsuit and a fraud investigation by New York’s attorney general. Once among the most powerful political organizations in the country, the NRA has seen its influence wane following a significant drop in political spending.
Wayne LaPierre, the group’s embattled chief executive, opened the program with remarks bemoaning the “21 beautiful lives ruthlessly and indiscriminately extinguished by a criminal monster.”
Still, he said that “restricting the fundamental human rights of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is not the answer. It never has been.”
Later, several hundred people in the auditorium stood and bowed their heads in a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting. Several thousand people were inside the auditorium during the speeches, which appeared fewer than the number gathered outside. Many seats were empty.
Trump accused Democrats of trying to exploit the tragedy and demonizing gun owners.
“When Joe Biden blamed the gun lobby he was talking about Americans like you,” Trump said, referring to the president’s emotional plea in a national address asking, “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?”
Trump called for overhauling school security and the nation’s approach to mental health, telling the group every school building should have a single point of entry, strong exterior fencing, metal detectors and hardened classroom doors and every school should have a police officer or armed guard on duty at all times. He also called yet again for trained teachers to be able to carry concealed weapons in the classroom.
He and other speakers overlooked the security upgrades that were already in place at the elementary school and did not stop the gunman, who entered the building through a back door that had been propped open.
According to a district safety plan, Uvalde schools have a wide range of safety measures in place. The district had four police officers and four support counselors, according to the plan, which appears to be dated from the 2019-20 school year. It also had software to monitor social media for threats and software to screen school visitors.
Security experts say the Uvalde case illustrates how fortifying schools can backfire. A lock on the classroom door, for instance — one of the most basic and widely recommended school safety measures — kept victims in and police out.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who, like Trump, is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2024, railed against Democrats’ calls for universal background checks for gun purchases and bans of assault-style weapons and instead pointed to broken families, declining church attendance, social media bullying and video games as the real problems.
“Tragedies like the event of this week are a mirror forcing us to ask hard questions, demanding that we see where our culture is failing,” he said. “We must not react to evil and tragedy by abandoning the Constitution or infringing on the rights of our law-abiding citizens.”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, another potential presidential contender, said calls to further restrict gun access are “all about control and it is garbage. I’m not buying it for a second and you shouldn’t, either.”
Some scheduled speakers and performers backed out of the event, including several Texas lawmakers and “American Pie” singer Don McLean, who said “it would be disrespectful” to go ahead with his act after the country’s latest mass shooting. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday morning that he had decided not to speak at an event breakfast after “prayerful consideration and discussion with NRA officials.”
“While a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and an NRA member, I would not want my appearance today to bring any additional pain or grief to the families and all those suffering in Uvalde,” he wrote in a statement.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who was to attend, addressed the convention by prerecorded video instead.
Outside the convention hall, protesters gathered in a park where police set up metal barriers — some holding crosses with photos of the Uvalde shooting victims.
“Murderers!” some yelled in Spanish. “Shame on you!” others shouted at attendees.
Among the protesters was singer Little Joe, of the popular Tejano band Little Joe y La Familia, who said in the more than 60 years he’s spent touring the world, no other country he’s been to has faced as many mass shootings as the U.S.
“Of course, this is the best country in the world,” he said. “But what good does it do us if we can’t protect lives, especially of our children?”
Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging Abbott in the governor’s race, ticked off a list of previous school shootings and called on those attending the convention to “join us to make sure that this no longer happens in this country.”
While Biden and Democrats in Congress have renewed calls for stricter gun laws after the Uvalde shooting, NRA board members and others attending the conference dismissed talk of banning or limiting access to firearms.
Samuel Thornburg, 43, a maintenance worker for Southwest Airlines in Houston who was attending the NRA meeting, said: “Guns are not evil. It’s the people that are committing the crime that are evil. Our schools need to be more locked. There need to be more guards.”
There is precedent for the NRA to gather during local mourning and controversy. The organization went ahead with a shortened version of its 1999 meeting in Denver roughly a week after the deadly shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.
Texas has experienced a series of mass shootings in recent years. During that time, the Republican-led Legislature and governor have relaxed gun laws.
Most U.S. adults think that mass shootings would occur less often if guns were harder to get and believe schools and other public places have become less safe than they were two decades ago, polling finds.
Many specific measures that would curb access to guns or ammunition also get majority support. A May AP-NORC poll found, for instance, that 51% of U.S. adults favor a nationwide ban on the sale of AR-15 rifles and similar semiautomatic weapons. But the numbers are highly partisan, with 75% percent of Democrats agreeing versus just 27% of Republicans.
Though personal firearms are allowed at the convention, guns were not permitted during the session featuring Trump because of Secret Service security protocols.
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Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer David A. Lieb contributed from Jefferson City, Missouri.
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More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings.
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https://www.wowktv.com/news/u-s-world/nra-opens-gun-convention-in-texas-after-school-massacre/
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Dear Dave,
My wife and I have been in our new home for about a year now. We are considering putting in a hot tub.
We have a couple of different options to locate the hot tub and wanted your advice. One idea would be to put the hot tub on the small patio that is off our master bedroom. However, that would be the only access, and we aren’t sure that is a good idea. The other option is to put it on our patio off the dining room – which would definitely be a more central location, but not as secluded.
Do you think it makes a difference for future resale potential? And if so, what do you think is best? Thanks for your feedback!
Joe and Sydney, Grand Junction
Joe and Sydney,
Making improvements on your outdoor living space is always a smart move! For resale, it is hard to beat the bang for your buck of outdoor home improvements. Outdoor living spaces are very in vogue, and there is little that lights the fire of a home buyer like a really well done outdoor living area.
One thing to keep in mind is that hot tubs are a bit like pools – people either really like them, or they really don’t, and there generally is not much in between. If you simply add a hot tub to an existing deck or patio, your financial return will likely be quite underwhelming; however, creating a truly amazing outdoor space will add real money and end up being a real selling point when and if you ever decide to sell. All that being said, there are a couple of things you can do to maximize the space and the improvement.
First, concentrate on making the space not just a hot tub space. Make the effort and spend the time to create a space that provides not only a home for your hot tub, but a space that creates an atmosphere and ambiance of a true outdoor living area. Marry your hot tub with a multi-purpose area that serves as an entertaining or sitting area, and see the impact soar.
I am not sure it matters if you situate the hot tub off the master bedroom or off the dining area if you really create something wonderful. Both locations will have their appeal. If you go off the master, you probably want something a bit more intimate and private, and if you decide to locate off the dining area, you want to shoot for making it conducive to entertaining.
On another note, make sure to add the extra element of lighting to your area. Lighting is far too often overlooked as a very inexpensive item that provides high impact and is essential when trying to create a mood and ambiance. If you go the extra mile and enhance your landscaping to accentuate the new hot tub/entertaining area, you will be well on your way to creating a space that many hot tub lovers and even those who are not will covet!
Dave Kimbrough
The Kimbrough Team
HAVE A QUESTION?
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https://www.gjsentinel.com/gjrealestateweekly/ask-dave/article_0e3d466a-f886-11ec-a3a7-e3aef030b190.html
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Second quarter revenue of $41.6 million, net loss of $(0.17) million and Adjusted EBITDA of $22.5 million; Company continues to execute its strategic plan and make significant headway in mining operations
LAS VEGAS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CleanSpark, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLSK) (the "Company"), a sustainable bitcoin mining and energy technology company, today reported financial results for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022.
"The theme for this quarter has been operational and financial execution," said Zach Bradford, Chief Executive Officer. "While the whole industry faced macro headwinds, primarily driven by a lower average bitcoin price, we continued to execute on our infrastructure-first strategy. We have line-of-sight on 600MW of power, driven in large part by the recent agreement we signed with Lancium at the end of the quarter. We continue to make strides in our commitment to ESG principles, most notably by working on attracting and retaining a diverse and highly qualified workforce. As for our capital strategy, our growth capex was funded 100% from the conversion of bitcoin. We have not utilized the shelf offering since November and we continue to right size our capital structure through means of non-dilutive capital."
Q2 Financial Highlights
Financial Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
- Revenues for the quarter grew to $41.6 million, an increase of $33.5 million, or 4x, from $8.1 million for the same prior year period.
- The Company recognized a net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2022, of $(0.17) million or $(0.00) basic loss per share compared to net income of $7.4 million or $0.28 basic earnings per share for the same prior year period.
- Adjusted EBITDA1 improved significantly to $22.5 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA1 of $1.9 million from the same prior year period.
- The Company also saw sequential revenues grow slightly in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter. Revenues increased $0.4 million, or 1%, from the first quarter. Net loss for the second quarter was $(0.17) million, reversing net income of $14.5 million in the first quarter. Adjusted EBITDA1 was $22.5 million, decreasing 7.2% from $24.2 million in the first quarter.
Balance Sheet Highlights as of March 31, 2022
Assets
- Cash: $1.9 million
- Digital Currency: $17.0 million
- Total Current assets: $42.0 million
- Total Mining assets (including prepaid deposits & deployed miners): $326.0 million
- Total Assets: $424.8 million
Liabilities and Stockholders' equity
- Current Liabilities: $22.6 million
- Total Liabilities: $23.9 million
- Total Stockholders' Equity: $400.9 million
The Company had working capital of $19.4 million and no long-term debt as of March 31, 2022.
Investor Conference Call and Webcast
The Company will hold its second quarter 2022 earnings presentation and business update for investors and analysts today, May 10, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. PST/4:30 p.m. EST.
Webcast URL: https://www.cleanspark.com/investor-relations/clsk-earnings
Participant Dial-in (Toll free): 1-877-270-2148
The webcast will be accessible for at least 30 days on the Company's website and a transcript of the call will be available on the Company's website following the call.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "targets," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "forecasts," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release, but are not limited to statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, industry and business trends, equity compensation, business strategy, plans, market growth and our objectives for future operations.
The forward-looking statements in this press release are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: the success of its digital currency mining activities; the volatile and unpredictable cycles in the emerging and evolving industries in which we operate, increasing difficulty rates for bitcoin mining; bitcoin halving; new or additional governmental regulation; the anticipated delivery dates of new miners; the ability to successfully deploy new miners; the dependency on utility rate structures and government incentive programs; the successful deployment of energy solutions for residential and commercial applications; the expectations of future revenue growth may not be realized; ongoing demand for the Company's software products and related services; the impact of global pandemics (including COVID-19) on logistics and shipping and the demand for our products and services; and other risks described in the Company's prior press releases and in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to us as of the date of this press release, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
You should read this press release with the understanding that our actual future results, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.
Non-GAAP Measures
Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). Because of varying available valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of equity instruments that can impact a company's non-cash operating expenses, CleanSpark management believes that providing a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes non-cash and non-recurring expenses allows for meaningful comparisons between the Company's core business operating results and those of other companies, as well as providing the Company with an important tool for financial and operational decision making and for evaluating its own core business operating results over different periods of time.
The Company's Adjusted EBITDA measure may not provide information that is directly comparable to that provided by other companies in its industry, as other companies in its industry may calculate non-GAAP financial results differently, particularly related to non-recurring, unusual items. The Company's Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to operating income or as an indication of operating performance or any other measure of performance derived in accordance with GAAP. Our management does not consider Adjusted EBITDA to be a substitute for, or superior to, the information provided by GAAP financial results.
We are providing supplemental financial measures for (i) non-GAAP adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") that excludes the impact of interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, our share-based compensation expense, and impairment of assets, unrealized gains/losses on securities, certain financing costs, other non-cash items, certain non-recurring expenses, and impacts related to discontinued operations; and (ii) non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA that excludes the impact of interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, our share-based compensation expense, and impairment of assets, unrealized gains/losses on securities, certain financing costs, other non-cash items, and impacts related to discontinued operations. These supplemental financial measures are not measurements of financial performance under GAAP and, as a result, these supplemental financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally to help understand, manage, and evaluate our business performance and to help make operating decisions.
We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are also useful to investors and analysts in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis. Adjusted EBITDA excludes (i) impacts of interest, taxes, and depreciation; (ii) significant non-cash expenses such as our share-based compensation expense, unrealized gains/losses on securities, certain financing costs, other non-cash items that we believe are not reflective of our general business performance, and for which the accounting requires management judgment, and the resulting expenses could vary significantly in comparison to other companies; (iii) significant impairment losses related to long-lived and digital assets, which include our bitcoin for which the accounting requires significant estimates and judgment, and the resulting expenses could vary significantly in comparison to other companies; and (iv) and impacts related to discontinued operations that would not be applicable to our future business activities.
Non-GAAP financial measures are subject to material limitations as they are not in accordance with, or a substitute for, measurements prepared in accordance with GAAP. For example, we expect that share-based compensation expense, which is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA, will continue to be a significant recurring expense over the coming years and is an important part of the compensation provided to certain employees, officers, and directors.
We have also excluded impairment losses on assets, including impairments of our digital currency our non-GAAP financial measures, which may continue to occur in future periods as a result of our continued holdings of significant amounts of bitcoin. Our non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation and should be read only in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. We rely primarily on such Consolidated Financial Statements to understand, manage, and evaluate our business performance and use the non-GAAP financial measures only supplementally.
About CleanSpark
CleanSpark, Inc., a Nevada corporation, is a sustainable bitcoin mining and energy technology company that is solving modern energy challenges. For more information about the Company, please visit the Company's website at https://www.cleanspark.com/investor-relations.
Investor Relations Contact
Matt Schultz, Executive Chairman
ir@cleanspark.com
Media Contacts
Isaac Holyoak
pr@cleanspark.com
BlocksBridge Consulting
Nishant Sharma
cleanspark@blocksbridge.com
View original content:
SOURCE CleanSpark, Inc.
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https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/05/10/cleanspark-reports-second-quarter-fy2022-financial-results/
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If you’ve ever dreamed of hitting the red carpet at New York’s famous Met Gala, surrounded by the world’s biggest stars in their most outrageous outfits, now you can, sort of, at Madame Tussauds New York.
The Big Apple branch of the legendary tourist attraction has a new attraction called Glow Gala, featuring 19 wax figures of celebrities wearing show-stopping looks inspired by the Met Gala. The centerpiece is a Katy Perry figure suspended from the ceiling in the “chandelier dress” she wore to the Gala in 2019.
Lady Gaga is also in the room, wearing a red gown illuminated with LEDs, along with never-before-seen figures of Ariana Grande and P. Diddy. The Ariana figure is even sporting a wedding ring that looks just like her real ring, and all her tattoos are present and accounted for.
Other figures that are part of the installation include Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, RuPaul, Priyanka Chopra, Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson.
The exhibit uses state-of-the-art projection technology, and all the figures are placed among Instagramable surroundings that include floral walls and neon art installations. Visit MadameTussauds.com for more info.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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https://warm1069.com/at-madame-tussauds-new-york-attend-the-met-gala-with-katy-perry-lady-gaga-justin-bieber-and-more/
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NEW YORK (AP) — “This is Us” star Chrissy Metz is teaming with partner Bradley Collins on a children’s book about parenting and religious faith.
Flamingo Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, announced Thursday that “When I Talk to God, I Talk About You” will be published Feb. 14 of next year. According to Flamingo, the book is written in “simple, rhyming verse,” with illustrations by Lisa Fields.
“’When I Talk to God, I Talk About You’ is a journey through the dream of raising a child and watching them grow right before your eyes all while supporting their unique path with love and guidance through a tender introduction to prayer,” Metz and Collins said in a statement.
Metz is also the author of the best-selling memoir “This is Me.” She has been seeing Collins, a Nashville-based songwriter and creative community advocate, since 2020.
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https://www.localsyr.com/entertainment-news/chrissy-metz-of-this-is-us-writes-book-for-children/
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ROME (AP) — The Italian navy on Saturday began relocating the first 600 migrants from the Sicilian island of Lampedusa after its refugee identification center became overwhelmed with new arrivals and photos circulated of filthy conditions.
July has seen a sustained uptick in daily migrant arrivals in Italy compared to recent years, according to Interior Ministry statistics. Overall, migrant arrivals are up sharply this year, with 30,000 would-be refugees making landfall so far compared to 22,700 in the same period in 2021 and 7,500 in 2020.
Lampedusa, which is closer to North Africa than mainland Italy, is often the destination of choice for Libyan-based migrant smugglers, who charge desperate people hundreds of dollars apiece to cross the Mediterranean Sea on packed, dangerous dinghies and boats.
The Italian navy’s San Marco ship was taking an initial 600 migrants from Lampedusa to another center in Sicily and from there they were be distributed elsewhere in Italy. the ministry said the transfers would continue Sunday.
Lampedusa’s former mayor, Giusi Nicolini, posted what she said were photos and videos taken in the center in recent days, showing new arrivals sleeping on the floor on pieces of foam and bathrooms piled high with plastic bottles and garbage.
“There are 2,100 people packed in the Lampedusa welcome center,” which has beds for 200, she wrote on Facebook. “These could be photos from Libya, but no, it’s Italy. And these are the ones who survived.”
Right-wing lawmakers were quick to seize on the overcrowding, blaming the left-wing parties in Italy’s government for being too soft on migration.
“And this would be the left’s famous humanitarian model?” Georgia Meloni of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, tweeted along with the images. “Saying no to mass illegal immigration also means saying no to this.”
___
Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.
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https://www.myarklamiss.com/local-news/italy-relocates-migrants-after-lampedusa-center-overwhelmed/
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LOS ANGELES - The Justice Department is creating a comprehensive online portal and resource center aimed at improving community policing by providing law enforcement agencies and the public access to federal reports, training, academic research and subject-matter experts.
Justice officials described the "National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab" as an attempt to compile a one-stop shop of information and best practices that are scattered across federal agencies and outside organizations. The goal is to create a road map for police departments seeking to implement reforms at a time when concern about violent crime is causing some jurisdictions to rethink efforts to overhaul policing.
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta is scheduled to announce the initiative during a kickoff event in Los Angeles, where dozens of police officials, community leaders and civil rights advocates have gathered for two days of workshops to develop ideas, Justice officials said.
The Justice Department is collaborating with the National Policing Institute, a nonprofit policy organization, and 21st Century Policing Solutions, an outside consultant, to build the portal, which will be overseen by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
At a time of rising gun violence and homicides, and nearly two years after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were followed by nationwide calls to reimagine law enforcement, federal officials said they want to help communities combat crime by building trust between police and residents.
In prepared remarks provided to The Washington Post, Gupta described the Knowledge Lab as a chance "to build a highly visible and trusted national resource for law enforcement agencies, communities and researchers to improve public safety through effective crime-fighting strategies, robust constitutional policing and stronger community relationships."
Though Attorney General Merrick Garland has opened sweeping pattern or practice investigations into police departments in Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix and Mount Vernon, N.Y., such probes are costly and time-consuming. The lab will be available to local jurisdictions at no cost. It is the department's latest effort to foster voluntary collaboration with the nation's 18,000 state, municipal and tribal law enforcement agencies. Justice officials last month launched the Collaborative Reform Initiative, which offers law enforcement agencies technical assistance from federal experts - another attempt to more quickly and broadly support local reform efforts.
Jim Pasco, the executive director of the national Fraternal Order of Police, said his organization endorsed the idea of a Knowledge Lab in conversations with Justice officials last year. He described the concept as "not prescriptive, but reflective of the best thinking."
"It's not mandated," Pasco said. "But it's training and advice and information that will be available to anyone in the law enforcement community who asks for it."
Civil rights groups have given mixed reviews to the Biden administration's efforts on criminal justice so far - applauding the return of Justice Department probes of police civil rights violations but decrying the lack of action on a promised executive order that would tighten rules for police. On Tuesday, Biden fulfilled a campaign promise, commuting the sentences of 75 nonviolent drug offenders in an effort to address long-standing disparities in criminal penalties.
Advocates have expressed concern that the police revision programs being offered by the Justice Department could become ways for local police chiefs or mayors to try to to circumvent federal investigation, which typically result in court-mandated consent decrees that force agencies to make broad changes
But Garland and Gupta have emphasized that Justice will continue to use its investigatory powers as well. This month, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the civil rights division, announced a federal consent decree with the Springfield, Mass., police department after a two-year investigation found that officers in the narcotics unit had repeatedly used excessive force, including kicking and spitting on a juvenile.
Justice officials and some police representatives said a benefit of the collaborative programs is that local police officials are more likely to view them as supportive, not punitive. Gupta will unveil the Knowledge Lab effort at Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, and officials said Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, whose department is operating under its second federal consent order, sent a video expressing support.
Community groups and civil rights organizations will have a hand in developing the portal and continued access to its information and resources, officials said. The portal will house a wide array of information, including reports from federal consent decree monitors and detailed reform plans from jurisdictions that have made progress. In some cases, Knowledge Lab consultants could be sent to help local jurisdictions directly.
In a statement, Los Angeles Police Chief Michael R. Moore said communities are "doing the work necessary to shape what comes next in policing." He called the initiative "the ideal vehicle to bring those diverse experts and their experiences together for the shared goal of creating safer, healthier communities."
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https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/justice-dept-offers-new-resource-for-police-agencies-seeking-change/article_de2a7741-4d41-5465-a66d-5cfcc9699220.html
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Yetter wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Oregon's 2nd Congressional District.
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LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman vowed to “defend, reimburse and represent” any player who faces potential discipline for playing in the inaugural event of the breakaway series.
Speaking at a media day Wednesday in London – where his startup league is set to launch next month with a $25 million, 48-man tournament – Norman said that he was undeterred by the PGA Tour’s decision to deny conflicting-event releases for the first Saudi-backed tournament. He had previously called the Tour an “illegal monopoly” and claimed their actions were “anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive.”
Even without a release, PGA Tour members can still compete in the inaugural LIV event, but they’d face possible sanctions that could include fines, suspensions or, as threatened, lifetime bans. Prior to the Tour’s decision, Norman said that six of the top 50, 19 of the top 100 and 36 of the top 150 players in the world rankings had signed up to play in London.
When asked by reporters Wednesday whether he had legal teams in place to challenge the Tour’s position, Norman said: “Yes. We are going to back up the players. We are going to be there for them, for whatever that is. We’re ready to go. We don’t want to go, but we’re ready to go. …
“I’ve said to the players: ‘We’ve got your back.’ We will defend, we will reimburse, and we will represent. Simple as that.”
Norman’s rival circuit will stage eight tournaments this year and 10 events in 2023 before the full-blown super league begins with 14 tournaments in 2024 and ’25. Norman announced Tuesday that LIV Golf had received an additional $2 billion from the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Though it’s not immediately clear how the Tour’s actions will affect the field strength of the LIV events, Norman said that the league didn’t need a superstar presence to be a success. Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia were among those who publicly disclosed they’d asked for a release.
“If none of the top 20 come, it’s still going ahead,” Norman said. “There is still value in there.”
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https://www.golfchannel.com/news/greg-norman-promises-defend-players-who-bolt-liv-serie
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ORANGE, Va. (AP) — Several staffers who were previously fired or suspended during recent turmoil at former President James Madison’s Montpelier estate in Virginia have been reinstated to their jobs.
Montpelier’s recently appointed Interim President and CEO Elizabeth Chew opted to bring back four staff members who were let go in April by previous leadership, the Culpeper Star-Exponent reported. Chew also expressed optimism in an email to supporters that the estate will recover from the recent controversy over how it would, or would not, share governance with the descendants of people once enslaved there.
Earlier this year, the board that manages the estate was criticized for moving to reverse a 2021 commitment to share authority equally with the descendants.
More than 11,000 people, including Montpelier visitors and donors, signed a petition protesting the decision and the firing or suspension of pro-parity staff members with decades of professional experience.
Dozens of organizations also expressed outrage about the board’s retreat. The groups ranged from an organization of descendants of Japanese American citizens interned during World War II to an international association of “sites of conscience” that includes Holocaust museums.
In May, in another reversal, the board elected 11 new members representing descendants of people once enslaved there. The vote created full parity for the descendants in the foundation’s leadership, The Washington Post reported.
Chew herself had previously been terminated from a role as the plantation’s executive vice president and chief curator, but the estate’s board appointed her to the new leadership position in late May. She then reinstated the four staffers who were removed or terminated in April.
“The entire staff has been through so much these past few months, and their return has done much to boost morale and generate hope that as an organization, Montpelier will continue in the right direction,” Chew wrote.
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https://www.fox16.com/news/national/madison-estate-rehires-staff-let-go-during-recent-turmoil/
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DETROIT — Jalen Hurts accounted for 333 yards and a touchdown and A.J. Brown had a career-high-tying 155 yards receiving in his Philadelphia debut, helping the Eagles hold on for a 38-35 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Philadelphia sealed the win with Miles Sanders’ 24-yard run on third-and-2 from the Eagles 27 just before the two-minute warning and Hurts’ sneak that converted a fourth-and-1 from the Detroit 40 with 50 seconds left.
Sanders finished with 96 yards rushing and was one of three Philadelphia running backs to score.
The Lions started strong, opening the game with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and forcing Philadelphia to turn it over on downs.
Hurts, though, proved to be too tough to stop on the ground and through the air.
He ran 17 times, one short of his career high, for 90 yards and a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. The third-year quarterback was 18 of 32 for 243 yards, including a 54-yard pass to Brown that set up Jake Elliott’s 23-yard field goal that gave Philadelphia a 24-14 lead at halftime.
Brown made a quick return on the team’s investment. The Eagles traded the No. 18 pick and a third-round choice to Tennessee for Brown and signed him to a four-year contract worth at least $57 million.
Goff, who was inconsistent, was 21 of 37 for 215 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that James Bradberry returned 27 yards for a score that put the Eagles ahead 21-7 in the second quarter.
Detroit’s D’Andre Swift, who is from Philadelphia, had a career-high 144 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries.
EJECTED
Lions defensive back Tracy Walker was ejected for swiping in a scrum with the Eagles after hitting Hurts near his head as he went to the turf late in the third quarter. When Walker hit Hurts above the shoulders after he went down on a run into Detroit territory, Philadelphia players came to their quarterback’s defense. Walker responded by swiping at tight end Dallas Goedert’s helmet and that ended his game.
INJURIES
Eagles: DE Derek Barnett limped off the field in the third quarter and was evaluated in a tent behind the sideline.
Lions: DT Levi Onwuzurike (back) went on injured reserve, hurting the depth where the team can’t afford to lose players.
UP NEXT
Eagles: Host Minnesota on Monday, Sept. 19.
Lions: Host Washington on Sunday.
___
Follow Larry Lage at https://twitter.com/larrylage.
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/hurts-eagles-beat-lions-38-35/2022/09/11/10ff5954-3212-11ed-a0d6-415299bfebd5_story.html
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HOUSTON, May 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While the homebuying boom of the past two years may be behind us, industry professionals need not fret yet. In the short term, buyers impatient to make a move will be eager to lock in current rates before they climb any higher. Now is the time to reach out to current clients and present them their best options for buying a home now.
After this initial surge, we can anticipate a lull in buyer interest. While this may mean fewer clients rushing through the door, it should also give industry professionals the breathing room to get back to the basics of business. Namely, this is a time to focus on building and strengthening relationships—both with clients and other industry professionals.
Without low interest rates ushering clients through the door in droves, relationships are once again going to be the cornerstone of this business. Keeping in touch with your professional network and referral partners will help you stay apprised of their concerns and needs so you can adapt your services accordingly. Additionally, frequent contact will keep you top of mind for new business referrals, especially if you are regularly adding value to members of your network. Providing updates on your areas of expertise via email or newsletter, or simply being available to answer a quick question are both excellent ways to help fellow professionals while also demonstrating the value you add to their network.
Likewise, regular contact with past and current clients is key during a market downshift. Stay informed of market fluctuations like mortgage rates, home prices, and housing availability so you can reach out to your clients when any of those factors shift in their favor. As inflation shifts the landscape, it's also wise to be aware of how increased mortgage rates and/or home prices will impact buyer loan eligibility, which can be based on variables such as debt-to-income ratio.
Read more: https://myamcap.com/how-inflation-impacts-mortgage-business/
Sources: AAA |CBS News | CNBC | FreddieMac PMMS® |Fortune | Investopedia | TechTarget | The Mortgage Reports | The New York Times | Trading Economics | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | USA Today
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SOURCE AmCap Home Loans
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https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/05/04/inflation-homebuying-industry-how-industry-professionals-can-succeed-amid-rising-mortgage-rates/
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SAN FRANCISCO, May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequoia Living proudly presents "Legacy Talks" on environmental sustainability, a three-part webinar series kicking off Wednesday, June 1st at 2 PM. Each session will focus on creating sustainable and attainable solutions, with the goal to inform, educate and advocate for healthier living. "Together we can create healthier living for generations to come," said Ray Boudewyn, Vice President Facilities and Procurement, Sequoia Living.
During the three-part Legacy Talks, the audience will hear from experts on climate change, waste management, emissions control, and water conservation. Kicking off the series is Mitchell Beer, publisher and managing editor of The Energy Mix, a news website and e-digest on climate change, energy, and the shift off carbon.
"Sequoia Living continuously looks at our communities and processes to evaluate the environmental impact of our business. We've taken action by creating our own electricity to reduce the dependency on the grid, we work with our partners on food waste and emissions reduction, and now we are installing solar panels on one of our communities to improve its efficiency," said Boudewyn.
With its initiative for sustainability and well-being, Sequoia Living is committed to being a great place to live and work. As an extension of its environmental stewardship, Sequoia Living continues efforts to reduce emissions by utilizing cogeneration technologies and producing 80% of the energy at The Sequoias San Francisco. Throughout the communities, Energy Star products are utilized, along with LED lighting products to improve efficiency.
"It is part of our mission to improve the quality of life for residents, reduce our buildings' impact on the environment, and create healthier and more resilient communities," said Boudewyn.
Join the webinar series to learn about climate action and make a positive impact on the environment. Register at SequoiaLiving.org/webinars.
The second session in the series is scheduled on June 15 at 2 PM and features a panel of presenters discussing waste management. The third session on June 29 at 2 PM discusses zero waste.
About Sequoia Living
Sequoia Living, a Bay Area nonprofit since 1958, provides older adults with retirement communities and services designed to support and enrich lives. In 2021, Sequoia Living served more than 7,000 older adults through the organization's four life plan communities, three affordable housing communities, two senior centers, and community services programs.
View original content:
SOURCE Sequoia Living
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https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/05/18/sequoia-living-introduces-legacy-talks-environmental-education-stewardship/
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**Please read the entire description before inquiring about this kitty. Darcy came with her siblings (Walter and Fluffy) around 5... View on PetFinder
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The owner of the proposed cannabis dispensary on the border with Wisconsin said, to be honest, the value of the location is because he knows people will come across the border from Wisconsin, where they cannot buy marijuana legally. “I don’t want to pretend anything else.”
A Kenosha Police Department officer is charged with felonies of second-degree sexual assault by a law enforcement officer and misconduct in pu…
The final property in Foxconn Area 1 that was not sold to make way for the underwhelming Foxconn development was finally sold Monday.
Police in Wisconsin have arrested one person on possible drug delivery charges after two people were found dead and two more were found in need of medical attention.
A 31-year-old Zion, Illinois, man is facing numerous charges after allegedly shooting three people outside a Kenosha bar over the weekend foll…
A shooting early Saturday at the 6300 block of 23rd Avenue, near the Las Margaritas bar, left three people injured, including two hospitalized…
A Maryland couple has sued a local real estate appraiser and an online mortgage loan provider, alleging that the housing appraisal they received was unfairly low due to their race.
Construction has begun on a new Harbor Freight Tools store at 7450 Green Bay Road, with expectations to open as soon as this fall and add up t…
Two years ago today, with Kenosha already in the international spotlight following the shooting of Jacob Blake, two men were shot and killed by Kyle Rittenhouse. Here's a recollection of that night, from someone actually on the ground.
The City Plan Commission heard plans in a public hearing for two apartment complexes during its meeting last week. If built, the projects woul…
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https://www.kenoshanews.com/darcy/article_0430726e-c0e4-5887-9410-08569517556d.html
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Wilson scores season-high 35 as Aces beat Sparks 89-72
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored a season-high 35 points on 13-of-23 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Los Angeles Sparks 89-72 on Saturday night.
Dearica Hamby had 20 points, eight rebounds and three steals, Kelsey Plum added 17 points and eight assists and Chelsea Gray scored 10 points with seven assist for Las Vegas (11-2), which has won nine of its last 10 games.
The Sparks lost their first game under interim coach Fred Williams, who took over after Derek Fisher was fired Tuesday. Williams went 131-153 in 10 seasons as a head coach with Utah, Atlanta, and Tulsa/Dallas.
Nneka Ogwumike led Los Angeles (5-8) with 16 points and nine rebounds. Katie Lou Samuelson added 13 points and Jordin Canada had 10 points and eight assists. Ogwumike, who has 4,812 career points, became the 25th player in league history to score at least 4,800.
Chennedy Carter scored inside to give the Sparks an 18-13 lead with about 4 minutes left in the first quarter but Las Vegas answered with a 12-0 spurt — including seven points by Wilson — to take a seven-point lead into the second. The Aces took a 52-35 advantage into the break and led by as many as 26 points in the second half.
Jackie Young, whose 19.2 points per game this season are third most in the WNBA, missed her second consecutive game due to an ankle injury suffered in a loss to the Connecticut Sun on June 3.
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More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2022/06/11/wilson-scores-season-high-35-as-aces-beat-sparks-89-72-3/
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Before Friday, the Jets had joint practices with three different teams in the past five years. And in each of those joint practices, they looked overmatched.
But it didn’t take long after the Falcons buses rolled up Friday morning to see that the Jets were actually the superior team.
That doesn’t mean the Jets are going to be a good team in 2022. The Falcons are clearly rebuilding after moving on from quarterback Matt Ryan last offseason. They are trying to get the most out of a young group of players and they have a lot to learn, which was clear on Friday.
But it does mean that for the first time in a long time the Jets aren’t at the very bottom of the football food chain.
Here’s what we saw and learned in Friday’s joint practice.
Coming out swinging
The past few weeks of Jets’ practices have seen their fair share of skirmishes. Early in the first team drill session between the Jets’ defense and the Falcons’ offense, we saw our first full-blown fight
There were warning signs early in the drill, as shoving and shouting matches broke out twice in the first few snaps. But after five or six plays, but on the sixth play, things got out of hand quickly as shoving after the play turned into edge rusher Bradlee Anae throwing a series of punches at seemingly the entire Falcons offense.
Players shoved and screamed at each other for more than a full minute as the mass of humanity moved half off the field and close to the giant tree in the middle of the Jets’ practice grounds. The punching had stopped but the shoving continued. And with the music briefly shut off, players could be heard exchanging clear and very loud threats more than 100 yards away.
Jets coach Robert Saleh didn’t address the brouhaha in detail.
“Yeah, our defense, their offense – little skirmish,” he said, “settled down and got a productive practice out of it.”
Saleh was watching the offense practice on a different field at that point, so he might not have been aware of the extent of the fisticuffs. And while it wasn’t a full-on brawl, it was certainly more serious than the coach made it out to be.
It took about 90 seconds to get the players separated. The Falcons’ offense huddled around their coaches on another field, while the Jets stayed on the field and did the same – there were more than eight minutes remaining on the clock for the drill when the fight started, but this drill was done for both sides. Ultimately, the next practice period started a few minutes early so the Jets offense and Falcons defense missed about five minutes of drill work because of the fight.
A good day for the defense
When both sides returned to the field there was a little more extracurricular activity in the first few plays, but after that, both sides settled down and got in some good work. And the Jets’ defense looked pretty good.
Here’s what I noticed.
∗They held Falcons starter Marcus Mariota to 7-of-16 passing, including three straight incompletions on an early series in which Jordan Whitehead, Javelin Guidry and Brandin Echols all looked great in coverage – Echols, returning from a hamstring injury, made a particularly impressive play keeping the ball away from young Falcons star tight end Kyle Pitts.
∗Mariota made them pay for some mistakes during a poor drive near the end of practice – a busted coverage led to receiver KhaDarel Hodge getting wide open for a first down, and Pitts roasted Michael Carter II for a big gain over the middle of the field. But overall it was a good day for the defense.
∗Carl Lawson played about half the first-team reps – notable because it was exactly a year to the day that he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against the Packers. Lawson made an impact with two sacks of Marcus Mariota on the day.
∗At the end of practice the teams moved to the main field in front of the stands for a two-minute, end-of-half situational drive. It didn’t start well for the Jets as they surrendered two straight completions as the Falcons moved to midfield. But the drive stopped there as the defense forced three straight incompletions – the highlight was a pass breakup by Michael Carter II on Jermaine Johnson – and rookie Jermaine Johnson picked up his second sack of the day to end the drive.
∗There was some Cincinnati-on-Cincinnati crime during team drills as rookie Sauce Gardner picked off rookie quarterback Desmond Ritter, his former college teammate. Ridder was under pressure and threw a ball directly at Gardner who excitedly ran toward the end zone and celebrated with some fans.
Elijah Moore leads the offense
It was a good day for the Jets’ offense as well, as Joe Flacco completed 18-of-25 passes with no interceptions during team drills. He led an impressive eight-play, 60-yard drive finding Braxton Berrios for a touchdown.
Here’s a look at some of the notable highlights for the offense.
∗Elijah Moore had a productive and flashy practice, catching five passes including a 40-plus yard gain after Flacco found him in a hole in the zone coverage and Moore made a juke that sent the defender running the wrong way. The crowd certainly let it be known how they felt about that one.
“He hasn’t even sniffed the surface,” Saleh said of Moore, let alone scratched it, of what we think he’s going to be capable of.”
∗Rookie running back Breece Hall found a hole in the right side of the offensive line, made a few quick cuts and ran 75 yards untouched for a touchdown early in the practice. Hall, a second-round pick, has been impressive since early in training camp and he showed it against a different defense.
∗Left tackle Duane Brown still isn’t participating in team drills. Brown, who agreed to sign with the Jets last week, has yet to play any team drills and with only one practice remaining before the next preseason game it’s looking as if the new starter will only get one preseason game with his new linemates.
∗Flacco led the Jets down the field at the end-of-practice drill simulating the end of a first half, but the Jets couldn’t convert it into a touchdown. Flacco completed six straight passes to four different targets – Michael Carter and Corey Davis each had two catches, while C.J. Uzomah and Moore each had one. The Jets had first down from the 14 with 19 seconds remaining on the clock, but an offensive holding penalty knocked them back to the 19 and when Flacco’s pass sailed incomplete they had to settle for a field goal.
“He did a really nice job, got us into scoring range, and it was set back by a holding penalty,” Saleh said. “So a good lesson to be learned there for the offensive line to hold up, keep it clean.”
Injury updates
∗Defensive lineman Quinnen Williams (ankle) appears close to returning. He worked out extensively on a side field for most of team drills and was on the sideline holding his helmet at the end of practice. He hasn’t practiced since suffering the injury Sunday.
∗Safety Lamarcus Joyner hasn’t practiced this week because of an illness. He has been back with the team the last two practices, but he wasn’t in pads on Friday as he watched from the sideline.
∗Defensive lineman Vinny Curry appears to have suffered a hamstring injury, according to Saleh. He was hurt late in a play during team drills with the Falcons offense and limped off to the sideline where he slammed his helmet in frustration. Curry didn’t play last year after complications from a rare blood disorder.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached at avasquez@njadvancemedia.com.
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https://www.nj.com/jets/2022/08/jets-training-camp-observations-falcons-joint-practice-day-1-punches-thrown-early-elijah-moore-breaks-out.html
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Rachel Feinman is among 30 leaders around the country chosen by Becker's Healthcare for creating a culture of innovation.
TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rachel Feinman, vice president of Innovation at Tampa General Hospital and managing director of TGH Innoventures, has been named one of the nation's top innovation leaders by Becker's Healthcare.
Feinman is among the list of "30 Great Chief Innovation Officers to Know,'' leaders who are vital to digital transformation efforts and initiatives to keep health systems on the cutting edge of delivering patient care. Feinman was chosen for her work in creating a culture of innovation across the Tampa General system, accelerating research and development, and managing venture capital funds.
Feinman also was selected for her efforts to harness the ingenuity and creativity of the academic medical center's team members to improve operations and clinical care.
"Innovation is critically important to our organization as it is the engine that propels us forward in developing real-world solutions for some of the most complex issues in health care," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. "Rachel has done an outstanding job in realizing our plan to find and leverage partnerships and perspectives that amplify next-generation ideas."
"This is an incredible honor, and it reflects the dedication of the team to move innovation forward,'' Feinman said. "It's another sign that our organization continues to strive to be a national leader in delivering world-class care.''
Feinman became vice president of Innovation at Tampa General in 2021 after serving as executive director of Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) for three years. With a passion for influencing the strategy for impactful innovation, she currently leads innovation and oversees Tampa General's venture investment strategy.
At Tampa General, innovation and health care are inseparable. Part of the hospital's objective is to significantly advance the future of health care in the Tampa Bay region, state of Florida and nationally. Launched in early 2021, Innoventures provides a coordinated mechanism for Tampa General to develop innovative solutions to improve quality and access to care. Innoventures also provides the hospital with a platform to invest resources and funds into emerging companies that share the academic medical center's vision and can help develop immediate solutions for health care access, quality and delivery.
Innoventures began as a $15 million, innovation-focused investment fund to support entrepreneurs, scientists and administrators addressing real-world problems. Some of its early successes include:
- A partnership with Embarc Collective, a Tampa-based nonprofit that helps startups grow into scalable, thriving businesses. Embarc serves as a landing spot for entrepreneurs and mentors to meet and share ideas. By teaming with Embarc, Tampa General can access startups working in health care and leverage Embarc's leading startup advisers to support Tampa General's internal innovators.
- The establishment of Co-Lab by TGH Innoventures, which is designed to collaborate and codevelop with early-stage health care companies to cultivate innovations at Tampa General that have broader applicability to other systems in health care. Through Co-Lab, Tampa General has partnered with and invested in Enroute, which uses artificial intelligence to streamline patient navigation by improving the efficiency of Tampa General's inpatient transport department.
- Investment in health tech-focused venture fund Virtue, which gives Tampa General access to innovative companies that address challenges in the health care industry. The strategic collaboration between Innoventures and Virtue focuses on modernizing health care delivery, increasing efficiency and improving the patient experience.
- Tampa General is expanding telehealth and connected care services through a $1 million reimbursement grant from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The initiative helps enhance the quality of patient care by removing socioeconomic barriers through the increase of telehealth and connected care services.
- A collaboration with the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) identifies innovative solutions from Israel. A partnership with Sheba Medical Center, the leading hospital in the Middle East, can generate groundbreaking developments in health care services, education, training and innovation.
The full list of honorees can be read at: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/30-great-chief-innovation-officers-to-know-2022.html
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and third out of 100 Florida companies in the 2021 America's Best Employers by State.Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2020, provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
Media Contact: Karen Barrera
Assistant Director of Communications & Partnerships
(813) 844-8725 (direct)
(813) 928-1603 (cell)
kbarrera@tgh.org
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https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/08/04/tampa-general-hospitals-vice-president-innovation-chosen-among-top-leaders-keeping-american-health-care-cutting-edge/
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Founded in 2022, Omni Fiber begins initial rollout of state-of-the-art broadband networks to small and mid-size communities in the Midwest.
CINCINNATI, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Omni Fiber, a new Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) provider committed to bringing a new choice in Internet service to underserved markets in the Midwest, announced 3 initial markets to be served in the state of Ohio today: Clyde, Dover, and Shelby.
"Omni Fiber is committed to serving the residents of small and mid-size towns across the Midwest with high-speed connectivity as quickly as possible," said Darrick Zucco, CEO of Omni Fiber. "We recognize that fast, reliable service is no longer a luxury but a necessity for all Americans, and our company is proud to partner with the cities of Clyde, Dover, and Shelby to provide critical infrastructure for its residents and businesses."
Construction has already begun in Clyde and is slated to begin later this month in both Dover and Shelby. The construction process will occur in phases and take several months to complete, with installations beginning this fall.
Services available will include Fiber Internet with speeds up to 2 Gbps, traditional or streaming TV options, and Phone. Omni Fiber is proud to offer a new choice in Internet service with symmetrical speeds, no data caps, no installation charges, no hidden fees, Premium Wi-Fi included, and Ohio-based sales and customer service.
Residents can expect communications from Omni Fiber when construction begins as well as when services are available, and those interested in being among the first to get Omni Fiber service can place a no-obligation pre-order at www.omnifiber.com or by calling 844-844-OMNI (6664).
Omni Fiber looks forward to serving customers in Clyde, Dover, and Shelby in the coming months, and will be announcing additional markets soon.
Founded in 2022 and backed by one of the largest investment firms in the telecommunications industry and led by a leadership team with 80+ years combined industry experience, Ohio-based Omni Fiber provides 100% fiber-optic broadband Internet, TV, and Phone services to residential and business customers in the Midwestern United States. Omni Fiber offers symmetrical speeds of up to 2 Gbps, no hidden fees, no data caps, Premium Wi-Fi included, local customer service, and competitive pricing. For more information, please visit www.omnifiber.com.
Omni Fiber Media Contact:
John Barnes (john.barnes@omnifiber.com)
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/01/omni-fiber-announces-first-wave-ohio-markets-be-served-with-new-100-fiber-network/
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CHICAGO, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Against a backdrop of skyrocketing gas prices, ongoing concerns about climate change and an unprecedented push by the auto industry to launch more electric vehicles, consumer interest in Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) is also on the rise. According to the most recent Ipsos Mobility Navigator Study, almost one-half of potential buyers in the U.S. say they will consider a fully electric vehicle for their next purchase. That is an increase of almost 400% since 2018, when only 13% indicated they would consider a BEV for their next purchase.
Despite this surge in consumer interest, sales of fully electric vehicles remain a stubbornly small part of the overall light vehicle market. According to recent vehicle sales data obtained from Marklines, battery electric vehicles made up just 5% of light vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2022 despite volume being up over 70% from the same quarter in 2021.
And despite high-profile launches of electric vehicle models from traditional automakers, Tesla remains the dominate force in EVs: its share of battery electric vehicle sales has actually increased from 70% in the first quarter of 2021 to 76% in the first quarter of 2022. Questions abound. Why aren't EV sales higher? Why can't traditional brands close the gap with Tesla?
Insights from the 2022 Mobility Navigator suggest a dramatic difference in how older buyers view EVs vs. their younger counterparts.
Almost three-quarters of Generation Y/Z consumers say they are willing to consider a battery electric vehicle for their next purchase. In stark contrast, less than 30% of Boomers share this same sentiment. To complicate matters further, interest among Gen Y/Z buyers has actually grown more in the past three years than for Boomers. In other words, this gap between younger and older buyers is widening.
Not surprisingly, this gap in interest is driven by very different perceptions about battery electric vehicles, particularly views about the overall cost of ownership. Most Gen Y/Z consumers (63%) agree that the overall cost of ownership for a BEV is less than for a traditional gas/diesel vehicle. Among Boomers, only 24% feel the same way.
There are some areas where older and younger consumers share common ground regarding BEVs, including battery life, recharging time and range. These are the most common reasons both groups give for avoiding BEVs altogether. These same issues are also the top reasons both groups give for ultimately deciding not to purchase a BEV after considering one initially. OEMs must continue to address these overarching concerns through communication and product development efforts.
Boomers represent a much larger share of new vehicle sales than Gen Y/Z. According to Statista.com, Boomers represented 41% of light vehicle sales in 2020 while Gen Y/Z only represented 23%. Conversely, Boomers make up only 7% of those that actually considered a BEV during their last new vehicle purchase, whereas Gen Y/Z represent two-thirds of that group.
Boomers also tend to be more able to afford the higher prices of most of today's BEVs. According to Kelly Blue Book, the average transaction price for an electric vehicle is $56,437 — roughly $10,000 higher than the overall industry average of $46,329. Boomers also tend to favor more mature brands when it comes to future consideration of BEVs. Although both age groups show high levels of interest in Tesla, Boomers are much more likely to mention brands like Toyota, Honda, and Ford. In contrast, Gen Y/Z are much more likely to mention brands like BMW, Audi, and even Apple.
Ultimately, Boomers have the potential to be either a secret weapon, or an Achilles heel, for the more traditional auto brands as they try to shift their business to electric vehicles. Because Boomers are a large group of buyers with an affinity for more established, mainstream brands, converting them to the BEV cause could pay huge dividends. On the other hand, if Boomers remain BEV-resistant, brands that depend on them for a large chunk of their sales may face an uphill battle in achieving an electrified future.
The Ipsos Mobility Navigator Study/Program will provide further insights through 2022, which automotive insiders can immediately use to capitalize on new consumer behaviors such as electrification perceptions and shared mobility usage.
Look for our next installment when we focus on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Driving Technology in July, 2022. The final installment focusing on Shared Mobility will follow in October 2022.
About the Study
For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 6,000 new vehicle owners aged 18-74 in the United States of America n=2,000 and n=1,000 for the following countries: China, Japan, Brazil and Germany.
Data collected are weighted so that each country's sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the country's most recent census data. Data collected are also weighted to give each country an equal weight in the total "global" sample. Online surveys can be taken as representative of the general working age population in Germany, Japan and the United States. Online samples in Brazil and mainland China are more urban, educated, and/or affluent than the general population and the results should be viewed as reflecting the views of a more "connected" population.
Additional data is available through a subscription to the offering.
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https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/07/does-auto-industry-have-an-electric-vehicle-generation-gap/
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PHOENIX — Former Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner reportedly plead guilty to drug charges on Thursday and could face up to 10 years in custody.
Griner was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage.
"She drew to the attention of the court that she had committed this act through negligence, unintentionally, " Maria Blagovolina, Griner's lawyer, told NBC this week.
But some local law experts think the basketball star was pushed into a corner.
“I feel like Brittney Griner had no choice. The odds were so stacked against her," said Valena Beety, an ASU law professor.
Nearly 99% of court cases in Russia end in a conviction.
Darius Amiri, chair of the Rose Law Group's immigration department, said the Russian court system heavily favors the prosecution.
"I think the guilty plea is a strategy to get her home faster," Amiri said.
“By pleading guilty at this point, there would be more mercy from the court. She will get a lesser sentence from the court because she would have been found guilty anyway.” Beety said. "I think this could be an opportunity for Russia to look good, to look benevolent, to say we are different than the punitive United States justice system where you incarcerate people for drug offenses, even though they are not."
However, even if Griner does not get leniency, the plea may lead to diplomacy.
"I don’t believe this case will be treated like a normal case," Amiri added.
Amiri said the current international relationships between Russia and the United States may be a major factor. A person guilty of a crime may make it easier to involve Griner in a prisoner exchange.
“It’s a chip that’s being used to gain leverage in a bigger picture element,” Amiri said.
The deputy chief of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Elizabeth Rood, was in court today. She told reporters she handed Griner a letter in court from the White House and that the WNBA star was doing well despite the challenges.
"I would like again to emphasize the commitment of the United States government at the highest levels to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all US citizens wrongfully detained," Rood said.
However, with the guilty plea, Griner's fate is left to the decisions of the court and the international relations between the two world powers.
"She has no control. She’s in a system where she can't even speak the language. Now she has pled guilty and is completely at the mercy of the Russian government and the U.S. government." Beety said.
RELATED: Wife of Mercury star Brittney Griner calls for more action to secure release ahead of trial
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12 News YouTube playlist here.
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https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/whats-next-for-brittney-griner-in-russia-court/75-8658ed1c-0bc2-428f-981b-6f304337642b
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Decentralized music licensing marketplace allows owners to set fees; eliminates third parties from music licensing transactions to increase speed of payment, reduce costs.
NEW YORK, July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dequency has today launched its web3-powered music licensing marketplace, opening its portal to music rights holders everywhere, having completed a 4-month restricted beta phase.
Dequency is building a unique, decentralized music licensing marketplace for music rights holders and visual creators to connect, collaborate, and transact directly with one another.
Built on Algorand, the marketplace is the only option for on-chain sync licensing for blockchain-native content such as motion-visual digital art, NFT projects, games, and metaverse productions.
Analogous to Bitcoin's trustless digital payments, Dequency eliminates third parties from music licensing transactions to increase speed of payment, reduce fees, and give control of the system to market participants.
Dequency CEO Keatly Haldeman said: "We use web3 tools such as smart contracts and cryptocurrency, not to be part of the hype cycle, but because this technology enables unprecedented efficiency and control for licensing transactions and payment."
Prior to today, Dequency released a beta product with a limited seed catalog available to license.
Today's v1.0 launch creates a two-sided marketplace, allowing any music rightsholder that owns both the recording and publishing rights of a track to license their music directly to a licensee without an intermediary in between the transaction..
Music rights owners that use the Dequency marketplace are also able to set their own licensing fees, making this a first of its kind proposition for an online sync platform.
Dequency executed the first ever sync license on a public blockchain last year when Late Night People by Goldfish ft. Soweto Kinch was licensed through the platform's SmartSync contract for use in Algorand's Decipher conference, which was held in Miami, Florida last November.
The company raised $4.5 million via an investment round led by Borderless Capital in February this year.
About the v1 launch, Haldeman said: "Our goal is to create a decentralized sync marketplace where artists and music rights holders control their online licensing experience, thereby attracting the most discerning creators and copyright owners. Audio-visual content creators benefit from a uniquely diverse and elevated catalog of music with easy licensing for their projects. Today, we're one step closer to our vision becoming reality."
Black Dave, a musician and thought leader in web3 music, and an early adopter of Dequency said: "Using web3 technology to purchase, track and pay for licenses for music is absolutely the future. Automating this process as much as possible via the blockchain allows for a new era of democratization of sync licensing, and I'm very excited to be a part of it."
Among Dequency's earliest supporters, electronic music duo Goldfish said: "We have always strived to make music that is unique and finally we have a platform that suits our quest!"
Keatly Haldeman (CEO), a lifelong musician, is co-founder and former CEO of Riptide Music Group, a publishing company and record label specialising in the synchronization of music to picture. Riptide's roster includes songs by artists such as Foster The People, Selena Gomez, Migos, Quavo, Ziggy Marley, Big Gigantic, Black Flag, The Turtles, Goldfish, and Fatboy Slim.
George Howard (CIO), JD/MBA, was recently named one of America's 50 Greatest Disruptors by Newsweek Magazine. He is a founding member of Open Music Initiative (OMI), a collaborative effort between MIT, Harvard, and Berklee to create an open-source protocol to increase transparency for royalty distribution. He is the former president of Rykodisc; cofounder of digital music distributor TuneCore; a Distinguished Professor of music business/management at Berklee College of Music; and author of 2017's best-selling book: Everything In Its Right Place: How Blockchain Technology Will Lead to a More Transparent Music Industry.
Mark Ross (Board member) is the CEO of ACME Innovation which creates access to the metaverse for media companies, and has founded or financed a multitude of entertainment related companies and start-ups including Audigent, Music Audience Exchange, Riptide Music Group, Project M, and Sir George Martin's GrandMaster Music.
Steve Kokinos (Board member) is the CEO of Algorand Inc. and responsible for overall business vision and strategy. Steve is a serial entrepreneur, most recently co-founder and Executive Chairman of Fuze, where he was responsible for corporate strategy. Prior to Fuze, Steve was co-founder of BladeLogic, Inc., a recognized leader in the data center automation market with a Fortune 500 client list including GE, Time Warner, Microsoft, Cable & Wireless, Walmart, and Sprint, among others.
Visit: www.dequency.io.
Algorand is transforming economic models and economies of all kinds. Founded by Turing Award-winning cryptographer Silvio Micali, Algorand's high–performing Layer-1 blockchain is unparalleled for bringing fast, frictionless, and inclusive technologies to everyone. Algorand is reshaping every industry–from TradFi and DeFi to new creator economies and beyond. With an extraordinary commitment to interoperability and consistent delivery, our sustainable technology powers more participation, transparency, and efficiency for all. As the technology of choice for 2000+ global organizations, the Algorand ecosystem is transforming the next generation of financial products, protocols and exchange of value. For more information, visit www.algorand.com.
Media Contact: algorand@dittopr.co
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https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/dequency-launches-music-rights-portal-create-first-open-two-sided-sync-licensing-marketplace/
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By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was likely spared even stronger sanctioning by the NBA for his racist, misogynistic and hostile words and actions because of one key conclusion by investigators, Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday.
The law firm that spent nearly a year digging into the situation determined Sarver’s use of slurs “was not motivated by racial animus.”
Had that not been the case, Silver indicated, Sarver’s punishment — a one-year suspension and $10 million fine — would have been far more severe.
“It was relevant,” Silver said after the league’s Board of Governors meetings concluded. “I think if they had made findings that, in fact, his conduct was motivated by racial animus, absolutely that would have had an impact on on the ultimate outcome here. But that’s not what they found.”
And that, to Silver, is one of the key distinctions between the Sarver case and the one surrounding then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014, when he was banned for life and fined $2.5 million for racist comments.
The NBA had the option of giving Sarver a longer ban than the one-year suspension. The $10 million fine was the maximum allowable, as was the case with Sterling’s $2.5 million fine eight years ago; NBA rules on maximum fines were changed in 2019.
Another reason Silver, who was the ultimate decider of the penalty in this case, stopped short of suspending Sarver for longer or even banning him: He said he took into account a number of anonymous details that could not be revealed in the investigative report that was published Tuesday, along with other elements of Sarver’s actions in his 18 years owning the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
“There were these terrible things,” Silver said. “There are also many, many people with very positive things to say about him through this process. And ultimately, I took all of that into account in making the decision that the one-year suspension plus the fine was appropriate.”
A 10-month investigation into Sarver’s behavior confirmed he had used racist language, made sexually inappropriate comments, left some employees — male and female — feeling uncomfortable with his words and actions, and took part in what would be considered workplace bullying.
“Indefensible is not strong enough,” Silver said.
But the league did not have discussions about removing Sarver as owner during the Board of Governors meetings. Silver permanently banned Sterling after tapes of him making racist comments were leaked to TMZ in a move that started the process of Sterling being forced to sell the franchise.
“This case is very different,” Silver said. “It’s not that one was captured on tape and the other isn’t. … Mr. Sarver ultimately acknowledged his behavior.”
Sarver did, and issued an apology Tuesday, though noted he did not agree with all of the report’s findings.
Silver was asked about how most employees of any company would likely face firings if they were to use racial slurs or partake in lewd actions or comments in the way that the investigation showed that Sarver did.
“It’s hard to make those comparisons to somebody who commits an inappropriate act in the workplace in somewhat of an anonymous fashion versus what is a huge public issue now around this person,” Silver said. “There’s no neat answer here, other than the rights that come with owning an NBA team, how that is set up within our Constitution. What it would take to remove that team from his control is a very involved process, and it’s different than holding a job. It just is. When you actually own a team, it’s just a very different proposition.”
A difference between the Sterling and Sarver cases is this: Sarver cooperated with the league’s investigation and Sterling, in many ways, did not. Sterling wound up suing the NBA for $1 billion in federal court after his lifetime ban was announced, saying his constitutional rights were violated.
The report said Sarver “repeated or purported to repeat the N-word on at least five occasions spanning his tenure with the Suns.”
“However, the investigation does not find that Sarver’s conduct in any of these instances was motivated by racial animus,” the report read, adding that investigators made “no finding that Sarver used this racially insensitive language with the intent to demean or denigrate.”
The Sterling investigation — from when the audio tapes of him making racist remarks to a girlfriend were released, to Silver’s announcement of the lifetime ban — took three days. The Sarver probe took 100 times longer, involved more than 320 interviews and the review of more than 80,000 documents and other materials.
Both investigations were handled by the same New York-based firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz. Attorney David Anders led both probes.
Sarver will be welcomed back in 2023, though Silver made clear that his words and actions going forward will be highly scrutinized.
“I don’t have the right to take away his team,” Silver said. “I don’t want to rest on that legal point because of course there could be a process to take away someone’s team in this league. It’s very involved, and I ultimately made the decision that it didn’t rise to that level. But to me, the consequences are severe here on Mr. Sarver.”
Sarver’s punishment is also similar to others levied in past high-profile examples of wrongdoing, either words, actions or both.
In 1993, then-Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott was fined $25,000 and suspended one year for making “racially and ethnically offensive remarks.” And last year, the NFL fined the Washington Commanders $10 million, plus investigative fees, after a probe found the team’s workplace environment for women was, in the words of Commissioner Roger Goodell, “highly unprofessional” — but stopped short of suspending owner Daniel Snyder.
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More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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https://wtmj.com/national/2022/09/14/nba-considered-suspending-sarver-for-more-than-1-year/
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The National Science Foundation is funding a new $20-million, five-year, data science and diversity effort at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and the University of Colorado Boulder.
The new Environmental Data Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab, or ESIIL, “will enable work that illuminates the biological impacts of climate change and the loss of biodiversity, helps planners prepare for extreme disturbances such as wildfires and floods, and above all, includes diverse voices and responds to community needs,” according to a CU news release.
The program, which is funded for five years, “will support collaborative research and education involving huge biological and environmental science datasets, innovative cyber infrastructure, machine-learning approaches to analysis, and engagement with decision makers and other stakeholders,” CU said.
This article was first published by BizWest, an independent news organization, and is published under a license agreement. © 2022 BizWest Media LLC.
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https://www.dailycamera.com/2022/07/12/nsf-funding-20m-cu-environmental-science-effort/
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MILAN (AP) — The first of some 300 Afghan refugees arrived in Rome on Monday along a new humanitarian corridor organized by the Italian government and civil society, charities and international organizations, Italy's Foreign Ministry announced.
The humanitarian corridor aims to give “additional refugees and persecuted Afghans the possibility of a future in dignity and security” following the U.S. withdrawal last August and the Taliban’s reassertion of control, the ministry said.
Thousands of Afghan citizens were evacuated after the fall of Kabul, but many who risked Taliban retribution were left behind. The Foreign Ministry said the corridor, which envisions the transfer of 1,200 refugees from Iran and Pakistan and other neighboring countries, would give priority to women and children.
The first nine Afghan refugees arrived on a flight from Tehran. Another 200 are scheduled to be flown from Islamabad on Wednesday with a third group arriving from Tehran on Thursday.
At the same time, the number of Afghan refugees taking smuggling routes is growing, with some 3,280 arriving in Italy by sea so far this year, according to the U.N. Refugee agency. The International Organization for Migration, meanwhile, said Afghans are the top nationality daring the perilous central Mediterranean Sea route to European shores, with 8,121 arrivals through last Friday.
Both organizations were involved in organizing the corridor transfers, along with Italy’s foreign and interior ministries and charities including the Community of Sant’Egidio and Caritas.
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https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Italy-opens-humanitarian-corridor-for-300-Afghan-17326954.php
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NEW YORK (AP) — A former CIA software engineer was convicted Wednesday of federal charges accusing him of the biggest theft of classified information in CIA history.
Joshua Schulte, who chose to defend himself at a New York City retrial, had told jurors in closing arguments that the CIA and FBI made him a scapegoat for an embarrassing public release of a trove of CIA secrets by WikiLeaks in 2017.
Schulte watched without visibly reacting as U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman announced the guilty verdict on nine counts, which was reached in mid-afternoon by a jury that had deliberated since Friday.
The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations, and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices. Prior to his arrest, Schulte had helped create the hacking tools as a coder at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
A sentencing date was not immediately set because Schulte still awaits trial on charges of possessing and transporting child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty.
Attorney Sabrina Shroff, who advised Schulte during the trial, told Schulte’s mother after the verdict that the outcome was a “kick to the gut, the brain and heart.” It was unclear if Shroff was expressing her own sentiments or Schulte’s.
In his closing, Schulte claimed he was singled out even though “hundreds of people had access to (the information). … Hundreds of people could have stolen it.”
“The government’s case is riddled with reasonable doubt,” he added. “There’s simply no motive here.”
Prosecutors alleged the 33-year-old Schulte was motivated to orchestrate the leak because he believed the CIA had disrespected him by ignoring his complaints about the work environment. So he tried “to burn to the ground” the very work he had helped the agency to create, they said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Denton encouraged jurors to consider evidence of an attempted cover-up, including a list of chores Schulte drew up that had an entry reading, “Delete suspicious emails.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that Schulte was convicted of “one of the most brazen and damaging acts of espionage in American history.”
Williams said Schulte, motivated by resentment toward the CIA, leaked to the public and to U.S. adversaries some of the nation’s “most valuable intelligence-gathering cyber tools used to battle terrorist organizations and other malign influences around the globe.”
The prosecutor said Schulte knew the leak would render the CIA’s tools “essentially useless, having a devastating effect on our intelligence community by providing critical intelligence to those who wish to do us harm.”
While behind bars awaiting trial, prosecutors said he continued his crimes by trying to leak additional classified materials as he carried on an “information war” against the government.
Once the jury left the courtroom for deliberations, the judge complimented Schulte on his closing argument.
“Mr. Schulte, that was impressively done,” Furman said. “Depending on what happens here, you may have a future as a defense lawyer.”
A mistrial was declared at Schulte’s original 2020 trial after jurors deadlocked on the most serious counts, including illegal gathering and transmission of national defense information. Schulte told the judge last year that he wanted to serve as his own attorney for the retrial.
He has not announced whether he wants to represent himself at his next trial, which involves allegations that after leaving the CIA, Schulte moved to New York from Virginia with a computer that contained images and videos of child pornography he had downloaded from the internet from 2009 to March 2017.
Schulte has been held behind bars without bail since 2018. Last year, he complained in court papers that he was a victim of cruel and unusual punishment, awaiting the two trials in solitary confinement inside a vermin-infested cell of a jail unit where inmates are treated like “caged animals.”
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https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ex-cia-engineer-convicted-in-massive-theft-of-secret-info/
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DETROIT, MI -- As fans celebrated Lou “Sweet Lou” Whitaker’s jersey retirement, the Tigers came in full force in a 9-1 victory in game two of their series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
While Jeimer Candelario, Willi Castro, and Harold Castro contributed two runs each, the Tigers’ Aug. 6 victory was a combined team effort, with Miguel Cabrera, Riley Greene, and Javier Baez scoring as well.
Scroll down to see 15 of our favorite photos from the game or click on the gallery above or here to view all 66 photos from the game.
You can order prints of any of these photos by clicking the “Buy photo” button in the caption of every photo. Subscribers click the “Get photo” link to download high-resolution images right to their device for free as part of their subscription. To subscribe, click this link.
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
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https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2022/08/our-favorite-photos-from-the-detroit-tigers-matchup-with-the-tampa-bay-rays.html
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Investigators conclude search in connection with Maura Murray’s disappearance
Massachusetts college student disappeared in New Hampshire in 2004
Massachusetts college student disappeared in New Hampshire in 2004
Massachusetts college student disappeared in New Hampshire in 2004
A ground search Wednesday in connection with the 2004 disappearance of a Massachusetts college student has concluded, officials with the New Hampshire attorney general’s office told WMUR.
The search in connection with the Maura Murray investigation was conducted Wednesday off Route 112 in Landaff and Easton, about four miles from where her car was found abandoned in 2004.
Officials did not release any information about what, if anything, was found.
While the search is over, officials in the attorney general's office said, "Our active, ongoing investigation continues."
>> Case file: Maura Murray's disappearance
Associate Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin told WMUR on Wednesday that officials typically don't notify the public of searches like this, but in this case, the search was so large it would raise public curiosity or alarm, so a release went out after the family was notified.
>> Maura Murray's sister reacts to search
Teams walked into the woods in a line, fanning out and poking into the brush. Dogs were also used in the search operation.
"The goal is to cover ground that has been previously covered, but to do a more extensive search," Strelzin said Wednesday. "Obviously, the hope with any of these searches is to find any evidence that might be relevant to this case."
Officials said there was no new information that prompted the operation.
Maura Murray was last seen on Feb. 9, 2004, when her vehicle was involved in a single-car crash on Route 112 in North Haverhill.
After the crash, police received two calls from two residents reporting a car off the road. The first call came at 7:27 p.m. A local bus driver later told investigators he saw a woman standing outside the black Saturn. An officer arrived at 7:46 p.m. and found the car locked with nobody around.
She was never seen again.
Maura Murray had driven to northern New Hampshire from her college, where she was a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. It's not clear why she left, but the day before she left campus, she searched for directions to Burlington, Vermont, which were found in the car. On Feb. 9, the day she vanished, she sent an email to teachers saying there had been a death in the family and she would be away.
She made a call to Stowe, Vermont, but never made reservations. She also called for information on a condominium in Bartlett where she had stayed with her family. Her father thinks that's why she was on Route 112, which connects to Route 16 and 302 in the direction of Bartlett.
--
DEVELOPMENTS IN RECENT YEARS
On April 3, 2019, investigators dug up part of the basement of a home on Route 112 in an attempt to find evidence in the search for Maura Murray.
Strelzin said the home had been a target of increased speculation by private citizens who thought there might be a body in the basement. Ground-penetrating radar used by private citizens indicated that the ground under the basement had been disturbed, Strelzin said. Search dogs also indicated there might be something in the area, but Strelzin said law enforcement officials did not believe there was enough credible evidence to get a search warrant.
The current homeowners allowed state police and FBI agents to search the basement, but Strelzin said they found no remains.
Then, in January of this year, the FBI created a Violent Criminal Apprehension Profile for Maura Murray.
>> Hometown Tragedy: The mysterious disappearance of Maura Murray
See the trailer below. The full documentary can be seen streaming on Very Local.
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https://www.wmur.com/article/maura-murray-search-new-hampshire-71422/40613277
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**Related Video Above: Women’s group weighs in after Deshaun Watson decision.**
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The I-Team with Nexstar’s WJW has confirmed National Football League officials have decided to appeal a six-game suspension a disciplinary officer imposed on Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson and the NFL players union have stated they do not plan to appeal the suspension. NFL officials had until Thursday to decide to appeal.
A spokesperson for the NFL released the following statement regarding the decision to appeal:
On Monday, Judge Sue L. Robinson, the independent Disciplinary Officer jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association, issued her ruling in the Personal Conduct Policy matter regarding Deshaun Watson.
Under the 2020 NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”), the factual findings of the Disciplinary Officer are binding and may not be appealed. Judge Robinson found that Mr. Watson violated the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy on multiple occasions and suspended him for six games. The CBA affords the NFL or NFLPA the right to appeal the discipline imposed by the Disciplinary Officer. Such an appeal must be filed within three days and would be heard by the Commissioner or his designee.
The NFL notified the NFLPA that it will appeal Judge Robinson’s disciplinary decision and filed its brief this afternoon. Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine who will hear the appeal.
NOTE ON THE APPEAL PROCESS
Any response to the appeal by the NFLPA must be filed in writing within two business days. According to Article 46 of the CBA, “the Commissioner or his designee will issue a written decision that will constitute full, final and complete disposition of the dispute and will be binding upon the player(s), Club(s) and the parties to this Agreement.”
According to the Personal Conduct Policy, the appeal will be: (i) processed on an expedited basis; (ii) limited to consideration of the terms of discipline imposed; and (iii) based upon a review of the existing record without reference to evidence or testimony not previously considered. No additional evidence or testimony shall be presented to or accepted by the Commissioner or his designee. Any factual findings and evidentiary determinations of the Disciplinary Officer will be binding to the parties on appeal, and the decision of the Commissioner or his designee, which may overturn, reduce, modify or increase the discipline previously issued, will be final and binding on all parties.”
The hearing officer, retired Federal Judge Sue L. Robinson, ruled Monday that Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy, based on allegations of sexual misconduct.
With NFL officials appealing, Commissioner Roger Goodell or person he designates, will hear that appeal. Whoever hears the appeal could decide to increase or decrease the discipline. Goodell’s office said he was unavailable for comment.
A league official told The Associated Press before Watson’s three-day disciplinary hearing concluded in June that the NFL wanted to avoid an appeal. But the league proceeded with one amid a backlash from some fans and intense public pressure in the media. Other factors include Watson’s lack of remorse, which Robinson noted in her report.
During Watson’s three-day disciplinary hearing, the NFL asked for an indefinite suspension of at least a year. The NFL argued for an unprecedented punishment and wanted to fine Watson at least $5 million, a person familiar with the discussions told the AP on condition of anonymity because the hearing was private.
In her 16-page report, Robinson described Watson’s behavior as “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.” Watson was sued by 24 women who claimed sexual misconduct during massages. All but one of the women have settled.
The quarterback has denied the allegations.
The union and Watson could file a lawsuit if the suspension is increased.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/national/nfl-appealing-deshaun-watsons-suspension/
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"ALMOST EVERYTHING"… SET FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 23RD VIA CLADDAGH RECORDS/UME
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, Liam Neeson, Imelda May, Bono, Hozier, and more bring the work of seminal Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh to life on a new record, Almost Everything… , due September 23rd via Claddagh Records/UMe.
Originally released on Claddagh Records in 1964, the double album also features the only recording of the revered Irish poet reading his most celebrated poems. Now remastered and reimagined this new two-part album includes the original recordings and Kavanagh's poetry read by some of Ireland's most famous figures including Jessie Buckley, Aidan Gillen, Lisa McGee, Lisa Hannigan, Evanna Lynch, Sharon Corr, Kathleen Watkins, Christy Moore, Rachael Blackmore and Aisling Bea set to a truly wonderful music composition.
Pre-order Almost Everything…: https://PatrickKavanagh.lnk.to/AlmostEverything
For many of us, Patrick Kavanagh joined our life's journey as we sat at hard desks in cold classrooms struggling to make sense of so much. Kavanagh made poetry real. He opened our minds to life, soil and soul.
In the 1960s, At the age of 19, Garech Browne set up Claddagh Records to record and preserve Irish cultural heritage, fearing that it would be subsumed by the fast-emerging pop culture. The first albums on the new label were music, including The King Of The Pipers by Leo Rowsome and The Liffey Banks by Tommy Potts. There was also a new group who wanted to call themselves The Quare Fellas but took advice and became The Chieftains.
And then Browne wanted to record an album of the spoken word.
By this time, Patrick Kavanagh was an established poet and writer, having won critical acclaim, primarily for The Great Hunger (1942). Browne had encountered the poet in various hostelries off Grafton Street and in 1963 he broached the idea of an album with Kavanagh. Many meetings followed, all informal, Browne recalled: "The small matter of money resulted in protracted negotiations and general haggling, not, I imagine, unlike the jostling Kavanagh was used to on a fair day in his native Monaghan."
Browne was offering £50 but the poet wasn't budging. It would have to be £100 or nothing. A contract was eventually signed in the Halcyon Hotel on South Anne Street where half-board was costing the poet just over £3 a week. Under his signature Kavanagh wrote: "One hour approx. of verse and prose of my own."
It was then decided, in 2021, to remaster the Kavanagh tapes and to invite a number of people to read the poet's works.
And here it is, the original Kavanagh album with all the evocative earthiness of the poet's voice together with a wonderful selection from some of Ireland's best-loved and most recognizable names from the worlds of music, film, arts and literature.
Almost Everything… is a two-part album. The first features 15 celebrities reading Patrick Kavanagh's poetry against the backdrop of a truly stunning musical composition. The second is a remaster of the iconic 1964 album from Claddagh Records Almost Everything which is the only ever recording of Patrick Kavanagh reading his own poetry.
Side One opens with the poet singing "If You Ever Go to Dublin Town" and features prose, while Side Two has Kavanagh reading a wonderful selection of his poems, 19 in total. The recordings took place on October 16, 1963. The sleeve notes include fellow poet John Montague's description of Kavanagh as "a writer who already has his place among the Irish immortals, both as a personality and a poet."
The physical formats of this album include a booklet containing all the poetry one will hear on the album.
The vinyl format of this release contains two truly unique vinyl sleeves. The first hosts a printed collage of sketches of all the celebrated readers around Patrick Kavanagh, with Kavanagh himself visible through the cut-out square on the cover itself. The second vinyl sleeve is an exact replica of the original 1963 release.
Track List: Patrick Kavanagh Almost Everything…
CD1 (Read by Guests)
1. On Raglan Road (read by Bono)
2. Stony Grey Soil (read by Michael D. Higgins)
3. Memory of My Father (read by Liam Neeson)
4. Canal Bank Walk (read by Imelda May)
5. Peace (read by Hozier)
6. Inniskeen Road: July Evening (read by Lisa McGee)
7. In Memory of my Mother (read by Kathleen Watkins)
8. The Hospital (read by Lisa Hannigan)
9. Pegasus (read by Rachael Blackmore)
10. October (read by Christy Moore)
11. Shancoduff (read by Aisling Bea)
12. Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin (read by Evanna Lynch)
13. Extract from 'The Great Hunger' (read by Aidan GIllen)
14. A Christmas Childhood (read by Sharon Corr)
15. Epic (read by Jessie Buckley)
CD2 (read by Patrick Kavanagh)
1. Autobiographical Prose
2. The Same Again
3. Jungle
4. Narcissus and the Women
5. Epic
6. God in Woman
7. Kerr's Ass
8. Peace
9. The Hospital
10. On the Death of Jim Larkin
11. Extract from 'The Great Hunger'
12. Living in the Country: Part One
13. Dear Folks
14. Miss Universe
15. About Reason, Maybe
16. To Hell With Commonsense
17. October
18. Come Dance With Kitty Stobling
19. Prelude
20. Having Confessed
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Claddagh Records/UMe
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https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/09/01/legendary-irish-poet-patrick-kavanaghs-work-brought-life-new-record-by-readings-hozier-liam-neeson-imelda-may-bono-more/
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — New information has become available regarding the background of two deputies and an officer involved in the violent arrest in Mulberry caught on video on August 21.
KNWA/FOX24 obtained the professional history records of each person involved in the arrest through multiple freedom of information requests. The hundreds of pages of documents about each deputy and officer revealed that Crawford County Deputy Zack King has a history of being written up for being rough on inmates and for not following orders from supervisors at work.
Deputy Levi White has won awards and Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle was terminated from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department the same day he resigned.
Those are just some pieces of the documented history, which are broken down further below:
Thell Riddle – Mulberry Police Officer and former Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy
- According to documents, in 2002, Riddle failed to meet the minimum score for the sheriff’s department semi-annual handgun test. His firearms privileges were suspended for 30 days and he had to complete additional training.
- In 2003, Riddle was reprimanded for not properly searching an inmate and allowing him to keep a lighter and a body piercing.
- Riddle had an affair with a coworker at the sheriff’s department in 2008, which Chief Deputy Ron Brown said could interfere with his duties. He was suspended for picking a woman up and taking her with him on the job, and then lying to supervisors about it.
- Riddle was fired as a Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy in January of 2008 by Chief Brown, who cited the violation of multiple department policies. Riddle wrote a letter of resignation on the same day, citing “personal issues.” He added that he hoped to serve the people of Crawford County again.
- He started with the Mulberry Police Department on March 21, 2017.
I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service.
An excerpt from a Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, signed by Thell Riddle, Zack King and Levi White
Zack King – Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy
- The documents show King received a certificate for “basic refresher” specialized training in February 2022, and he had signed a form acknowledging a use of force policy.
- In March 2018, he was written up for “striking an inmate in the face during a physical altercation,” according to the documents.
- In April 2018, documents say he was given an employee counseling form for “being too aggressive with inmates” and was given “verbal counseling.” He was then written up for “not following supervisor’s instructions.”
- In September 2018, the documents say King was written up for “entering the tower without permission from a supervisor.”
- In May 2019, he was cited for “failing to make sure there was someone here early to do count/lack of communication.” The form says it was the “third time this has happened in three weeks.”
- In August 2019, King was cited for losing his deputy sheriff badge.
- In September 2019, King was written up for “insubordination” for leaving before his shift was over without permission and being defiant about it.
Levi White – Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy and former Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy
- White has received several awards, including Deputy of the Year and he was a sniper in the U.S. Army.
- When he worked for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, White signed a form about using body cams. In 2018 he signed a form agreeing to comply with the Franklin County use of force policy, and in 2019, he signed a form agreeing to comply with the county’s racial profiling policy.
- He also completed training as recently as 2019.
- In April 2019, a woman complained that White was “mean” and wouldn’t talk to her at an accident scene. Local attorneys say White has been involved in other violent arrests. The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act does not apply to documents tied to ongoing investigations.
- White resigned from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in 2020.
All three law enforcement members remain suspended from their respective departments and the arrest incident in Crawford County remains under investigation.
A federal civil rights complaint filed by Randal Worcester on August 29 alleges that the Mulberry Police Department ignored complaints filed against Riddle, and that the same happened in Crawford County incidents involving White and King.
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https://www.kark.com/news/state-news/documents-reveal-background-of-deputies-officer-involved-in-violent-mulberry-arrest/
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Georgia deputy police chief landed behind bars after authorities said he was busted in a prostitution sting in Polk County, Florida, last Thursday.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said 49-year-old Jason DiPrima of Kingston, Georgia, was arrested Thursday for soliciting a prostitute, a first-degree misdemeanor, and booked into the Polk County Jail, where he was released after paying a $500 bond.
Deputies said DiPrima was in Orlando attending a polygraph training workshop when he answered an online advertisement from an undercover detective who he believed was a prostitute.
“Are you available tonight?” he asked the detective in a text message, according to deputies. “I’d like to come see you — what is your rate?”
Authorities said DiPrima agreed to meet and have sex with the undercover detective, but told her he “got spooked” and asked to meet her the next evening.
The next day, he agreed to meet the detective and pay her $120 for a half-hour of sexual activity, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said DiPrima showed up at their meeting spot in an undercover police cruiser normally assigned to agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Deputies said DiPrima gave the undercover detective $180 and a multi-pack of White Claw Hard Seltzer. He was promptly arrested.
“What are you thinking?” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. “You just want to go, ‘C’mon man, have you lost the last three brain cells, or do you just have cabbage for brains?’”
The sheriff’s office said DiPrima is employed as the Deputy Chief of Police Administration for Cartersville Police Department where he has served for nearly 30 years He was also a graduate of the FBI academy. The department was notified of the matter. It’s unclear if he was disciplined.
“If all else fails, he can write a book: How to ruin your career in three easy steps,” Judd added.
The arrest was part of a week-long investigation focusing on human trafficking in the Polk County area. Sheriff Grady Judd is expected to share more details about it at a 3 p.m. press conference Tuesday.
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https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/deputy-police-chief-showed-up-at-florida-prostitution-sting-with-180-pack-of-white-claw-sheriff-says/
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